


Just One Yesterday

by Semper_Sehun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Minor Character Death, Minor Injuries, Oral Sex, Rimming, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-07 19:15:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 50,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19215793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semper_Sehun/pseuds/Semper_Sehun
Summary: 48 hours seem like a lot of time when you have eternity to yourselves in a world dictated by the undead. However, when Jongin gets bitten, a run against time to find the antiserum begins.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt Petal:** #248  
>  **Author's Note:** "yes the weather is hot and the sun is shining, but it just makes the dead smell even worse and summer has never felt more like hell" - the possibilities of this prompt and its wording just spoke to me. And like this, the fic that I originally planned to have 15k words ended up with 50k... This fic turned out to be something that I really enjoyed writing and since it was a fest, I couldn't talk about it with everyone which kind of drove me nuts. Eitherway, thank you to everyone who helped me whenever I needed an opinion on something or an idea to a plothole - you guys know who you are and I love you!  
> One of my friends was so kind to create a teaser video for this fic, it turned out amazing! You can watch it [here](https://youtu.be/xfzg0uD4uCs). Also, I made a [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/n1xn950yyu6ho5knsilmleeam/playlist/15TErgjUZtwfiRvNgCGuQf?si=8XhL_R1-R9-J9Y0d3d_Efg) for this fic and I think you'll at least partially understand the reason after you read it.
> 
>    
> Title by Fall Out Boy - Just One Yesterday
> 
> The parts in italics are flashbacks to different moments in the past.

_47\. 46. 45_

 

Time was running out, and no matter how fast they tried to walk, it seemed to outrun them either way.

The concrete beneath their feet was littered with cracks. Weeds had nestled their way into the narrow clefts and left the ground in patterns that reminded him of strewn out puzzle pieces that someone had forgotten to put together again.

 

_31\. 30. 29._

 

It hadn't rained in days. Mercilessly, the sun burned down on them as they crossed the large plaza. Shards of broken glass reflected the rays of light that hit them, breaking them down into a billion specks of colour. It would have looked beautiful if they'd had the time to look, but like this, the pieces of glass were only a hindrance to them. Sharp edges boring into already worn thin soles of their boots and the brightness of the reflection blinding their tired eyes.

 

_14.13. 12._

Time. Just days ago, he'd thought they had an eternity ahead of them. Not necessarily in a good way, no. But at least they'd had it. These days, it was important to cherish whatever you still had left. No matter if it was a bottle of soju they'd found in an abandoned seven eleven, a half-empty magazine of ammo, or just the knowledge that they had an eternity to themselves.

Now he seemed to have everything but time. It was funny how quickly things could change in times like this. From one second to the other, everything that he thought was a given could shatter into pieces and picking them up again seemed like a game with zero chances of winning. Still, he would play along as long as there was still an ounce of hope in him.

 

_8\. 7. 6._

 

Blotches of deep red had begun to seep through the once pristine white fabric. They only had one more bandage left, but they didn't have the option to stop and change it anyway. In the end, it was only decoration, he thought.

An attempt to cover up the inevitable, the nightmare that festered inside the other's veins, the fate that lay solely in the hands of time.

The last time he'd checked, the wound had looked worse than just a few hours before that. Just by looking at it, he could practically see the venom spreading inside the other's veins, poisoning him from the core.

Once upon a time, the deep red colour had been one of his favourite. Now, it left behind nothing more than a twist in his gut and the feeling of nausea, coupled with an overwhelming feeling of despair.

 

_2\. 1. 0._

 

Just like that, another hour had passed. Another hour that brought them closer to hour zero. There wasn't much time left, just a single hour, and there was still so much of the way ahead of them.

When one countdown had ended, the final one had just begun.

His legs felt heavy, but his heart felt heavier. In the past 47 hours, they hadn't got much rest.

If they didn't stop now, they could still make it. After everything that had happened, they still had a chance. They had to make it.

When he turned his head, he saw him looking at him. They shared a short smile.

 

Behind them, he heard a noise. And suddenly, everything went black.

 

🕑 🕑 🕑

 

Blood. Deep red drops of blood.

The wound wasn’t deep, but it didn’t matter. It was there, and it was as awful as a stab directly to Sehun’s heart. At least that’s what it felt like in that moment.

Jongin had been bitten.

The two of them still weren’t entirely sure how it had happened, but the wound was right there on Jongin’s arm, the faint print of teeth only so deep that it had drawn blood.

Next to them, the zombie was lying on the ground, unmoving. The moment he’d spotted the creature behind Jongin in the grocery store aisle, a yell had left his lips. Time seemed to slow down when Jongin twirled around, and Sehun was sure that he’d never forget the look of sheer panic in the other’s eyes.

The punch to the zombie’s jaw executed by Jongin didn’t hit in the intended way. Instead of pushing him away, the zombie merely stumbled and held onto Jongin’s arm that had just reached out to punch him, sinking rotten teeth into healthy skin.

Even though it was Jongin who was bitten, it was Sehun who let out a gasp. What happened in the next few seconds, Sehun wasn’t sure. When he came to his senses again, the zombie was on the ground next to him, a bullet missing in the magazine of his gun. But he didn’t give a fuck about the dead undead on the ground.

“Jongin.” The words left his lips in a whisper. The gun slipped from his fingers as he gently grabbed Jongin’s arm to examine the bite marks on them.

“I- I didn’t hear him coming.” There was a tremble in Jongin’s voice and Sehun didn’t want to look up. Just the thought of the fear in Jongin’s eyes felt like a twist in his gut. Still, he forced himself to meet Jongin’s eyes.

Usually filled with a unique kind of gentleness, Jongin’s eyes were now filled with a look of sheer terror. All the words that Sehun wanted to say to soothe him were stuck in his throat though, because he knew that no matter what he said, they’d be empty shells of words carrying little to no meaning. Yet, he forced himself to speak up, because he needed to hear it as well.

“It’s gonna be okay, Jongin. We can- we’re gonna find a way. We have 48 hours to find a solution to this. We can do it. I won’t let you go just yet.”

Just a few minutes ago, they still had had eternity to themselves. And now, just seconds later, their run against time had begun.

 

🕒 🕒 🕒

 

_Summer had never felt so suffocating. The stench of a thousand dead bodies rotting in the streets was a permanent companion to them. Just a few months back, Sehun would've thrown up at the overpowering smell but nowadays, he mostly didn't register it anymore. They’d learned to adjust, and if breathing through their mouth rather than their nose was a part of it, Sehun was glad that it wasn’t anything worse than that._

_He wasn’t exactly sure how many months had passed since the world had changed. First, they’d heard about it in the news. A new virus, the news anchor had informed them, and it was spreading quickly. In the matter of two days, the city of Seoul had ended up in a lockdown. Nobody was allowed to leave their houses, nobody was allowed to open their windows. Apparently, that hadn’t been enough._

_In the following two weeks, more than 98% of earth’s population fell victim to the virus. EXO-Virus it was called. At some point, Sehun had known the meaning behind the abbreviation but in the last few months, the words had slipped from his mind. It didn’t matter anyway, when they talked about the virus, everyone they encountered would know which one they were referring to either way._

_It wasn’t like they met many people along the way either._

_When the lockdown happened, Sehun had been studying in the library for an exam. When the librarian informed them that no one was allowed to leave the building, panic had quickly broken out. The thought of being locked up in the library had almost sent Sehun into anxiety attack and even though it had been careless, in retrospect his decision to sneak out through one of the emergency exits to hurry towards his flat that was only about 10 minutes away from campus had been the best decision he could have made. While he’d never reached his flat, he ended up being called into a small grocery store that was taking people in who had been surprised by the emergency lock-down._

_For the next 72 hours, all of them were locked inside the small shop. On the TV, they watched as the news anchors droned on about how everyone was safe as long as they stayed inside. For a short time, they believed in it, until suddenly, there hadn’t been any news anymore. It wasn’t just that there hadn’t been anything to report on. Instead, there was no signal anymore. No matter what station they tried, all they saw was static._

_From then on, everything gradually become worse._

_Luckily since they were in a grocery store, they at least weren’t short on water and food. Looking back, Sehun was pretty sure that this was the key reason why he’d survived the first two weeks. If he’d headed back to his flat like he’d initially planned on doing, he would’ve starved eventually._

_For a few, peaceful hours, Sehun began to believe that they were safe in the tiny shop. That he’d found a small safe haven, the perfect spot to hide until everything went back to normal again. However, he quickly realized that this wasn’t the case after all._

_When the man died, they all were shocked._

_Nobody had expected it and nobody knew how to deal with the situation appropriately either. While they were all sitting around in the small shop, trying to entertain themselves, the owner of the store, an old man in his 70ies began to clutch his chest. Soon, everyone realized that he was having a heart attack but neither of them knew how to handle the situation. Although they were a small but heterogenous group, there was no doctor among them. There was Sehun, the IT student with no medical knowledge at all. Then there was the young mother with her 4 year old daughter, the middle aged man that worked as a manager, the 50 year old female shop assistant, a few pupils and then some more students. All of them watched as the light faded from the old man’s eyes, unable to help in the slightest. It was the manager who closed the old man’s eyes, spreading a blanket over the corpse so the children wouldn’t have to look at it the whole time. Even though he didn’t want to, it was Sehun who volunteered to carry the man into the room adjacent to the shop. None of them were particularly keen on being in a room with a corpse, and Sehun couldn’t blame them._

_After carrying the old man and leaving him behind in the other room, he washed his hands with a whole bottle of water. In their situation, it could be considered wasteful, but after a whole 2 litres of clear liquid and lotus scented soap, Sehun still seemed to feel a special kind of sensation on his fingertips._

_Throwing the corpse outside was not an option. So far, they hadn’t dared to open either the door nor the windows just yet. Without any information from outside, they didn’t know what was going on. Right on the first day, they’d closed the blinds to block any unwanted attention. Also, Sehun wasn’t sure if he was ready to see what was going on on the outside just yet._

_When he fell asleep that night, he didn’t dream._

_It was that night when Sehun learned of the true nature of the virus._

_When voices began to grow louder around him and Sehun blinked his eyes open, he quickly realized that it wasn’t morning yet like he’d expected. Instead, he was faced with the face of a crying mother, clutching her daughter to her chest as she shook him awake._

_“He’s a monster! You have to run! We all have to go!” She cried. “Wake up!”_

_And although Sehun didn’t understand just yet, he sat up in trance and watched how the room around him turned into a scene of chaos. ‘Monster’ the word was still ringing in his ears when he spotted it._

_There, on the other side of the room, currently gnawing on what seemed to be the neck of the middle-aged manager, was the 70 year old shop owner. But actually, it wasn’t really him anymore. From what Sehun could make out, his skin had grown sickly pale, almost grey-green that showed blueish lines underneath the thin skin on his arms and face. His eyes were milky white, highlighted by the torch light that flickered through the room while someone kicked it aside to hurry towards the door._

_It was then when Sehun realized that this was more than just a simple virus. Because that man right there - Sehun had no doubt about it - was a zombie._

_Before he could even respond to the onslaught of words that was raining down on him from all sides, someone kicked the door open. In the course of a few seconds, half of the room had emptied already while Sehun was still trying to orient himself in the room. Tumbling towards the open door, Sehun immediately took a step back when he saw another person that looked very much like a zombie as well step through the door frame. The mother, who’d been just about to leave through the door again, let out a scream and stumbled backwards, her child in her arms._

_Looking around frantically, Sehun saw the open door to the second room. There was a back door in there as well, most likely opening towards the street parallel to the one in the front of the shop and in that moment, Sehun was pretty sure that this was his only option to get out there alive._

_“Follow me.” He belted out, referring to the mother and her child. Without looking back, he began sprinting towards the other room. Sehun didn’t know if the woman was following him, and he wasn’t even sure if he was making the right decision, but in that moment it seemed to the only plausible thing._

_To his relief, nobody was inside the other room and when he heard a noise behind him, it was indeed the woman with her child following him, pulling the door shut behind them. “There’s a door here.” Sehun explained to her, already trying to open it. However, he quickly realized that it was locked. Looking around frantically, Sehun spotted a key shelf on the opposite wall. Just when he’d been about to cross the room, a loud bang made him flinch. It sounded like someone was hammering on the door to the room from the other side of the shop but the sounds that came from behind the door didn’t sound human at all._

_“Put that chair underneath the handle.” Sehun told the woman while he grabbed all the keys that were aligned on the shelf, hurrying towards the locked door again. The first key that he tried didn’t fit, and the second one didn’t either. When he tried the third one, there was another loud bang on the door and he almost dropped all of the keys right then. After some fumbling, he finally managed to get the key into the lock but it wouldn’t turn. There was only one key left._

_His heart was pounding so loudly that he felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. If the key didn’t work, they were in big trouble. With shaky fingers, he slid the key into the lock and turned._

_With a click, the door unlocked and Sehun let out a breath. Even though he knew that outside was probably just as dangerous, he was glad that they had found a way out from the creepy noises coming from another room. Swinging the door open, Sehun was met with darkness._

_“The door is open.” Sehun turned around to look at the woman that was hugging her daughter to her chest. He waited until she had reached him before he stepped outside, watching as she followed him outside. Just when he’d locked the door again and pulled out the key, he could hear the door bursting inside the room._

_The air felt cold in his lungs when he took a deep breath. He’d hoped for it to clear his mind but there was still only one thing inside his head._

_The pitch black street seemed empty and eerily quiet. It felt like there was no soul out there, but Sehun knew that that could be a false impression that could cost him his life. He needed to find a place to stay for now, and he needed to make it there quickly._

_He needed to run._

_In the end, Sehun ended up getting separated from the woman that night. He wasn’t really sure how it happened. One moment, they were running in the same direction, the other he was stumbling, tripping, falling to his knees. When he was up again, she was out of sight, the sounds of her steps ringing in his ears but he couldn’t make out where she was running anymore._

_That’s how he ended up alone, at night in a street that he didn’t know where it lead him, with no destination in mind but the need for a place to stay._

_And somehow, Sehun managed to survive that night. And he managed to survive many more after that too. After the first few days on his own in an abandoned flat in an apartment building, he dared to leave the flat again. However, he quickly realized that the streets were still too filled with zombies at that point and he backed off, retreating to a safe space again, this time a grocery store much like the one where he’d initially stayed until the night where everything went to shit._

_Day Zero - it was the name Sehun had given the day the virus broke out and set his whole life back to zero._

_Sometimes, he spotted people. Every single time, he was torn if he should make contact, but those people seemed to be either in a rush or looked rather unapproachable, so Sehun stayed put in the end. That was, until he met Jongin._

 

🕝 🕝 🕝

 

“We need to get back to the lighthouse.” Sehun explained while he grabbed Jongin by his uninjured arm, leading him out of the grocery store. The backpack with food was precariously slung over Sehun’s shoulder, feeling secondary now. Just before they were about to leave the shop, Sehun glanced left and right to make sure the street was empty before he urged Jongin to follow him.

It took them only a few steps until they were inside the car they’d parked right in front of the entrance, Sehun in the driver’s seat and Jongin in the passenger seat, all the while clutching his still bleeding arm.

“When we’re back at the lighthouse, we’re going to think of a plan.” He glanced over at Jongin just when he started the engine. It roared in the silence of the abandoned village, the sound reverberating through the empty street as the car started rolling.

“Okay.” Jongin’s voice sounded as small as Sehun felt in that moment.

 

There were three things Sehun had learned about the virus so far.

  1. They were all carrying it
  2. No matter how they died, the virus would break out the moment their heart stopped beating and the transformation would begin.
  3. Once you were bitten by one of the zombies while you were still alive, you had 48 hours before you died and turned.



 

48 hours. 2880 minutes. 172800 seconds. That much time they had to find a solution for this mess.

Sending another glance at Jongin, he impulsively reached out to place his hand on his thigh. “It’s going to be okay.” He mumbled, more to himself than Jongin. They both needed to hear it.

 

🕝 🕝 🕝

 

_When Sehun met Jongin for the first time, he almost punched him in the face. Snow had fallen during the night and in the morning, Sehun had realized that his clothes weren’t fit for the season at all. The boots that he was wearing were mostly worn out, the fabric of his jeans was thin from constant use. The jacket he was wearing had seen better times too, so Sehun decided that he needed to renew his wardrobe._

_Theoretically, acquiring food and goods wasn’t as difficult in a world where most people had died from a zombie virus. Practically, it wasn’t that easy._

_While the zombies were usually easier to spot, based on their lack of logical thinking and therefore utterly ignoring the sounds they made while tossing over trash cans and flower pots, Sehun worried more about the humans that were left sprinkled over the considerably empty streets of post-Day Zero Seoul._

_Therefore, when Sehun bumped into Jongin while searching through messy piles of sweatshirts of all colours and sizes in an abandoned apartment store, he wasn’t all too happy._

_The young man had come up behind Sehun, silently so that the other hadn’t heard him approaching. Afterwards, Jongin would say that he hadn’t even really tried to sneak up on him. In that moment, however, Sehun had thought just that. When a shard of broken glass cracked under someone’s shoes just centimetres behind him, Sehun twirled around and threw his fist into the air at the height where he expected someone’s face. To the other's luck, Jongin had instinctively taken a step back so that Sehun’s fist narrowly missed his face, swishing through thin air._

_“I don’t have anything on me right now. I have one… energy bar, you can have that. There’s no need to hurt me.” Was the first thing that blubbered from Jongin’s mouth, a shocked expression on his face. Before Sehun could even continue, the man in front of him kept rambling. “Please don’t punch me, I just wanted to look for new clothes but then I spotted you and I didn’t know what to do and for some reason I thought it was a good idea to approach you but looking back, I maybe shouldn’t have done that from the back and I’m-“_

_“It’s fine.” Sehun broke off the onslaught of words spilling from the other man’s lips. “I’m not going to punch you if you don’t give me any reasons for me to punch you. It’s pretty easy.”_

_A look of relief bloomed on the man’s admittedly handsome features, and Sehun had to admit that it looked better on him than the expression of fear in his eyes that had been there just mere seconds ago._

_“Thank god. Cause you looked kind of really scary just now.” Letting out a sigh, the man slumped in on himself. “By the way, my name is Jongin.”_

_Jongin. The name was pretty, just like the man in front of him._

_Although reluctantly, a smile found its way on Sehun’s lips._

_“Hi. My name’s Sehun.”_

 

🕝 🕝 🕝

 

The engine roared when Sehun shifted gears too slowly. They had just driven onto the highway again, his hand returning to Jongin’s thigh the moment he’d shifted gears again, content with the purr of the motor of a car that they’d found in a lonely parking lot, a basket with sandwiches and apple slices rotting away in the boot at the time.

The concrete of the highway in front of them seemed to glimmer in the harsh heat of August. It was a particularly hot summer, and Sehun wasn’t entirely sure why god had decided to not only grace them with a deadly, or rather undeadly virus but also a sweat-inducing heat wave that made him want to crawl into the depths of the lighthouse Jongin and he had sought out as their safe space.

“Sehun, maybe you should just shoot me or something, in 48 hours I’m going to-“

A harsh breath. “Stop it.” The words left Sehun’s lips with a lot more harshness than he’d intended too. Softer, much softer, he continued, his thumb rubbing circles into Jongin’s thigh that would have been soothing if he hadn’t been so strung out.

“Don’t ever suggest that again, Jongin. We’ll- we’ll figure something out.”

A look in the mirror, and Sehun realized that Jongin was looking at him.

“But what, Sehun? What will we figure out?” There was an urgency in his words and all Sehun wanted to do was to take his worries away, one by one. But it wasn’t that easy.

“We’ll figure out a way to solve this. You know the plans that I saw, right? In the database. There’s an antiserum somewhere, Jongin. And I’m going to find it for you, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

 

🕒 🕒 🕒

 

_Life with Jongin fell into place somewhat naturally, somehow. After their encounter at the department store, Jongin had just stuck with him. While they both had searched through piles of clothing, they’d exchanged more and more words. It was then when Sehun realized how much he’d missed social interaction._

_Before Day Zero, Sehun had always considered himself a somewhat social person. Of course, there were times when he’d preferred to stay in his room all alone and binge watch the latest K-Drama, but often enough, he found himself enjoying going out with friends or his family._

_After Day Zero, all of what he’d once known had disappeared all at once. Friends, family, interaction. Back when he’d still been in the shop for the first few days, he hadn’t felt it so much. But now, week after week on his own, he could feel the need for human contact nagging in his bones, a desire so deeply rooted in his soul that it was hard to deny himself once he had the option to chat with Jongin so freely._

_And for some reason, the two of them had just clicked. Whereas it wasn’t rare for Sehun to get along with others, it had been forever since he’d hit it off with someone the way he seemed to be able to chat with Jongin._

_When the other man tentatively asked Sehun if they could stick together for a while because he enjoyed the company, Sehun had almost over-eagerly agreed._

_Maybe he’d been too eager, too naïve even, but just the thought of not being alone anymore had sounded too appealing, too convincing, for him to decline the request._

_And in the end, it had turned out to be the best decision he’d ever made in his life._

_The more time he spent with Jongin, the better they worked as a team. Instead of going back to his initial hideout, Jongin had followed Sehun back to his abandoned grocery store. In retrospective, Sehun possibly shouldn’t have given away his hideout so easily either, because in the end he’d only just met Jongin, but there was a feeling in his gut that told him that everything was going to be okay._

_Together, they learned how to get by. The days seemed a lot more bearable when they were able to spend them together, going on trips to find new goods they could use, like torches and batteries, a radio and plastic cutlery and plates._

_With Jongin, time didn’t seem to stand still._

 

🕒 🕒 🕒

 

The car took a turn to the right, and the concrete underneath the tires turned into gravel. The last few hundred metres to the lighthouse were always a bit of struggle. Maybe they should’ve gone for a vehicle that was better for more rural areas.

It was as if every stone left an impression on the dampers of the car, bucking and jerking them around in their seats as the shape of the lighthouse grew bigger. The ocean was to their left, the sounds of the wave usually soothing whenever they reached their ears.

Today, the crashing of the waves into the shore felt unbearable to Sehun. He wasn’t even exactly sure why. Maybe it was the thought that soon, they would have to leave this place, the place that had become their home for the past few months. Maybe it was the irony of an image of utter calmness and ease that upset him so much, an empty beach with nothing but the waves breaking while they silently made their way towards the lighthouse, lost in thoughts heavier than the weight of the water crashing down into the sand.

In that moment, Sehun wished that they could just get out of the car like usual, unpack their new findings, whipping up a meal on the electrical cooker, sitting down outside the lighthouse to watch the waves while sharing innocent, sometimes not so innocent, kisses.

Because now, there was a chance that he’d never get to do that again. And just the mere thought of it was enough to tighten the knots his guts had twisted into.

 

🕒 🕒 🕒

 

_It had been an easy decision to leave Seoul. While both Jongin and Sehun hadn't been too certain about how they were going to go about finding food and other necessary goods, Seoul was still a hotspot for not only zombie gatherings but also many people that had apparently lost most of their sanity, and most importantly morality, while losing everything else but what they had on their body._

_Therefore, the idea of leaving their hometown had popped up a few weeks after Day Zero. By then, Sehun had already lost track of time, but if there was one thing they'd had enough of back then, it had been time. (How ironic, Sehun now thought.)_

_The outskirts of the city had been their first destination. A car gathered a lot of attention and while there were many abandoned ones that still were fully functional littering the streets, they'd deemed it safer to get to the suburbs by foot. Once they'd reached them, the two had begun to prepare a VW truck they found in a garage of the house they had resided in for the time being. Gathering food in form of cans and other long term preserved items had taken them a few days. As much as they wanted to leave quickly, it was safer to make several trips with lighter bags to carry than less walks but with a heavy baggage that could cost them their lives in case they needed to escape._

_The thing was, in grocery stores, zombies were their least problem. Much more dangerous, and a lot more calculated and cunning where the humans that were left to raid the zombie city of Seoul. One time, just a few days after the outbreak, Sehun had been searching for something edible in the depths of a small store when someone had knocked him out and left him lying on the ground. Waking up hours later, he'd been lucky that the hit hadn't broken skin because the smell of blood would have certainly attracted the unwanted visitors with dead, milky eyes._

_Ever since that day, Sehun had begun to fear other humans just as much as the zombies. There was an entirely different sense of danger coming off of them, and sometimes, it felt like those people were the real monster created by the virus. What did it matter if your body was healthy but your mind was infected with thought more ill than the poison running through the undead's veins?_

_The trip with the old VW truck almost reminded Sehun of a road trip. Minus the rotting bodies on the streets and the few zombies they encountered, it was basically like a nice drive towards an unknown destination with less traffic, a lot of off-tune belting out the songs on the CD that the previous owner had left in the car’s CD player, and most importantly, Jongin by his side._

_Together with food and other important things such as clothes, they’d stored enough gas in the back to last them for a few hundred kilometres. At this point, neither Jongin nor Sehun had known where they were actually heading. All they had known was that they wanted to head somewhere near the sea._

_It took them a few days to find a place where they wanted to stay. On the way, they’d driven large highways and lonely tracks next to endless fields. They’d taken breaks at lonely beaches and had slept in 5 star hotels that now belonged to ghost cities. During the whole trip, they didn’t encounter a single soul._

_In the early afternoon of the 5th day, they reached a small landing with a lighthouse with a tiny house attached to it. Curious, they’d left the car just to find out that the door had been left unlocked. The first exploration of the abandoned building had happened in full-concentration. Every nook and cranny, every corner had been checked twice, three times. Neither of the two were keen on facing a bad surprise._

_Climbing the steep stairway to the second level of the lighthouse, the view took Sehun’s breath away. For a second, the scene in front of him, spreading through the all-round-view window, distracted him from his initial instinct to search the room for any type of threats._

_Sun was shining through the large glass front in front of them, reflecting on the metal surfaces of sonar instruments and computer screens. The glistening of light breaking on the ocean was visible from where they were standing, and a pair of seagulls glided through the air in front of them effortlessly._

_A pat on Sehun’s shoulder pulled him out of his trance. Averting his eyes from the breath-taking view in front of them, he followed Jongin in starting to check the room for threats. Soon enough, it became clear though that both the tiny house and the lighthouse were empty, no traces of life, or what was left of it, noticeable._

_By the time they’d made it to the upper level of the lighthouse again where the sun was still burning through the windows, Sehun and Jongin exchanged a smile._

_There were no words needed for them to know that they’d found the place where they could stay, a place where they could possibly feel at home again in a world where safety was no longer a given, much less feeling at home._

 

🕞 🕞 🕞

 

The ground between their feet scrunched when they stepped out of the car. In contrast to the healthy, green grass which they’d been greeted with on the day they’d first got out of their old car when they discovered the light house, the green stalks had long turned brittle and brown.

The sound of a hundred crickets filled the air, almost overpowering the sounds of the waves crashing not too far away. Usually, Sehun would enjoy the sound, wondering how many of those tiny insects were needed to create such a loud noise. Not today, though.

In silence, they made it to the small house, more of a cabin really, next to the lighthouse. It was small but cozy. Sehun’s shirt was drenched by the time he stepped inside. If he was sweating from the heat or the burning questions in his mind, he wasn’t sure. It was probably a mixture of both.

Once inside, Sehun didn’t know what to do with himself. Normally he’d slump down on the couch or one of the chairs, pulling Jongin with him. They’d sort in their findings in the kitchen shelves and cupboards, or grab a beer can from the cooler. Now, none of that seemed appealing at all. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to, it was just that they didn’t have the time to do that anymore.

“Sehun-“ Jongin started, having stepped through the door after Sehun. He was still clutching his arm. At least it wasn’t bleeding anymore.

“We need to pack, Jongin. We should leave all the stuff that’s in the car in there and pack the most important stuff into our bags. If we leave in an hour, we can make it to Seoul in about 4 hours.”

Inside Sehun’s mind, a plan was already forming. A few months back, he’d acquired some information about an antiserum. Something that would allow him to save Jongin, an antiserum that cured him from the terrible disease if only it was injected before the 48 hours ended and the process of turning had finished. None of the two were sure if the information was correct. He’d told Jongin about it one night, a few months ago. Back then they’d wondered who on earth wouldn’t try to distribute something like an antiserum if there was one. They hadn’t come to a conclusion. Now, even though Sehun still couldn’t be sure it really existed, the hope that it indeed existed was the last straw of hope he could allow himself to cling to.

“Sehun, we don’t even know if the thing you read about the antiserum is real. What if-“ Jongin started but again, Sehun wasn’t having any of it.

Dropping the bag he’d just picked up, he stepped in front of Jongin to cup his face, forcing him to meet his eyes.

“I don’t care about the what if’s, Jongin. If there’s one chance, just one slight chance, even if it’s just 0.1%, of saving you, I’ll do it. You’re the only thing I have left in this world, how the hell could I give you up? We’re leaving in an hour, do you hear me? We’re leaving in exactly one hour. Pack everything you need but keep it light.” Sehun let out a breath. His face was so close to Jongin’s that their lips were almost touching when he whispered the next words.

“ _It’s going to be one hell of a ride.”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't watched the teaser video yet, here's the [link](https://youtu.be/xfzg0uD4uCs) to it. Also, you can find the matching playlist to this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/n1xn950yyu6ho5knsilmleeam/playlist/15TErgjUZtwfiRvNgCGuQf?si=8XhL_R1-R9-J9Y0d3d_Efg).

_15 miles per hour._

The lighthouse was growing smaller behind them.

_21 miles per hour._

Through the window, Sehun could hear the crashing of the waves. The engine wasn’t loud enough yet to drown out the noise.

_36 miles per hour._

With his eyes on the clock, he could feel sweat gathering on his forehead.

As the numbers on the speedometer rose, the seconds ticked by. And for all he knew, Sehun wished he could have just one more yesterday.

 

🕔 🕔 🕔

 

_The light of his torch flickered in the darkness, and Sehun cursed. The generator in front of him was old, dust floating through the weak beam of light of his flashlight as Sehun struggled to find the button that would get it started. At first, he’d thought it to be one of the older models, a manual one which would’ve needed him to pull on the line to get it rolling. It seemed, however, that whoever had been charge of the military base back when the undead hadn’t been milling on the streets, had decided that the Korean military deserved to use electricity generator models that just needed a press of the button._

_A sigh escaped him when the light finally hit what he was looking for. Seconds later, a whirring set in, immediately followed by the deafening sound of the engine starting. In the empty building, the noise seemed to be multiplied a thousand times. Sehun’s ears were ringing when he pulled his finger away, the feeling of the button still lingering on the pad of his finger._

_With the whirring of the generator, a chain reaction had been triggered. Just seconds after Sehun had pressed the button, the lights above his head flickered to life and a sound of faint beeping reached his ears._

_Now that the room was lit by multiple lamps, he finally was able to get a good look around. From what he could tell, the room had to be something akin to a emergency IT centre. Along the walls, several computers with large screens were set up, their screens having lit up the moment Sehun had brought back electricity to the machines._

_A familiar kind of excitement filled Sehun’s chest as he stepped closer to the computers. The other rooms he’d intended to explore after getting the electricity to work and the food he’d been searching for were long forgotten now that he had a row of fully functioning computers in front of him._

_His fingers were shaking a little while he placed them on the keyboard, feeling the welcoming feeling of keys underneath the pads of his fingertips._

Enter password.

_The screen read. A small smile appeared on Sehun’s face. If there was one thing in the world that he didn’t need, it was a password. Food, sure. Water, definitely. But a password?_

_Zeros and ones were Sehun’s friends. Ever since he could remember, numbers had fascinated him. Not in a way that maths class was his favourite. He just thought that they were pretty, in a really twisted way. While his classmates continued to fall into despair, Sehun learned how to befriend the numbers and variables._

_Coding became the language Sehun felt most comfortable in. Instead of gaming like his friends he would try to figure out his own programs instead. Simple ones at first, more complex ones later. Hours went into aligning zeros and ones, typing out controls and learning new languages. Java became his English, C++ his Chinese._

_Only naturally, Sehun had found his way into scholarship for his studies at the Seoul National University in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. However, not even his professors learned about the extent to which Sehun could break into the most locked up and hidden servers and systems._

_He could’ve probably become rich if he’d tried, but he wasn’t a criminal. To him, playing around with the highest security level servers was like playing a game. He didn’t need online games, hacking was his recreational computer activity._

_Sehun’s fingers were flying over the keyboard, his mind immersed by the windows popping up in front of him as he single handedly broke into the South Koreans military database servers. It wasn’t like there was anyone left who was going to punish him for it anymore._

_He didn’t know how much time had passed when he was finally granted access. It hadn’t been easy, Sehun had to admit, but it definitely hadn’t been_ impossible _._

_To be quite honest, Sehun wasn’t even sure what he was looking for as he skimmed through the thousands of files containing sensitive data. The thing that had drawn him in had been the mere sight of the computers within reach, fully functioning and capable of hiding so many secrets that he couldn’t wait to unveil, no matter if the empty spaces around him were the only things he could share them with._

_It was then when a file did end up catching his attention._ “Project EXO”, _the name of the file read and something in Sehun’s guts twisted uncomfortably._

EXO _, just like the virus._

_EXO, just like the cause of death to millions upon millions, the sole reason for why he was now sitting in a secret military base with a rusty electricity generator screaming behind him and his stomach rumbling because it had been a good day since he’d last eaten a proper meal._

_Holding his breath, Sehun opened the file. Or rather, he attempted to do so. Instead of a document or a folder popping up, another message popped up on the screen._

Enter password.

_Again, Sehun didn’t feel pressured in the slightest. Just like clockwork, his mind began to work, becoming one with the movements of his fingers on the keyboard as he took apart the firewalls one by one, piece by piece until, with a satisfying ping, the document popped up in front of him._

_“Progress Report. Day 1. The subject has shown signs of recovery. The fever is going down. Virus levels in blood are still untypically high. Further tests have to be conducted.”_

_Recovery. The word made Sehun still. With eager eyes, he continued to read._

_“Progress Report. Day 2. Fever has returned. The subject’s skin has taken on a greyish colour. The irises are beginning to change._

_Progress Report. Day 3. The subject has died. Project EXO will be continued with a different subject.”_

_Sehun’s heart was pounding in his chest. If he wasn’t mistaken, this really was connected to the virus outbreak, if not the whole cause for it. With a heavy feeling in his chest, Sehun scrolled down to continue reading._

_“Progress Report. Day 11. Project EXO has been officially re-named Project EXO-L. Other names such as EXO-M for medicine and EXO-K for Korean Research Branch have been discarded in favour of EXO-L. The L stands for Elixir. For linguistic and aesthetic purposes, the E has been omitted, leading to the new Acronym EXO-L.”_

_Antiserum, Research, Elixir. The words stood a hard contrast to what Sehun had originally assumed. Maybe this wasn’t so much the creation of the virus but rather the research on how to fight it?_

_Scrolling through the next few pages filled with more entries and a dozen pages of scientific language that Sehun had a hard time deciphering and a much harder time grasping the meaning of, he continued to find nothing but failed attempts of Project EXO-L, most reports ending with the test subject dying. His eyes stopped when he reached a particularly interesting log entry. From what he’d gathered, the Virus seemed to be a protein that managed to form substrate complexes with an enzyme originally intended to interlock with another protein naturally produced by the human body. The EXO Virus, however, was created in a way that it tricked the enzymes into locking with the virus proteins instead of the human ones, which then lead to the reshaping of the enzymes which in turn no longer fit the normal human proteins but still the virus proteins as they change shape in accordance with the enzyme. This was the only part of information Sehun could at least superficially grasp, his biology lessons in school spent mapping out codes or staring at pretty boys in the seats in front of him._

_“Progress Report. Day 43. The subject is showing signs of recovery. The fever is going down. Blood levels are stabilizing._

_Progress Report. Day 44. The subject is showing signs of weakness, but blood levels and heart rate are still normalizing. No signs of iris deformation yet._

_Progress Report. Day 46. The subject is still alive. Up until now, this is the longest time a test subject has survived. More test will have to be conducted.”_

_However, as much as Sehun scrolled, there was no more info of any further tests or research. It seemed like the reports had just stopped, without any foreseeable reason._

_And as discouraging the sudden stop of the reports could’ve been to anyone else, the information Sehun had just gathered had something else entirely blooming inside of his chest._

_For the first time in what seemed to be forever, there was hope growing inside of him. A hope that maybe, there was a chance to fight the virus. And even if the world wouldn’t go back to how it was before day zero, everything would be better than living with the fear of being infected every single day._

_And if it was just this, just a hint of an antiserum existing, Sehun was going to damn well take it and keep the feeling in his heart._

🕔 🕔 🕔

A glance at the lighthouse through the rear-view mirror. It was getting smaller and smaller as the distance between the car and the building grew bigger and bigger with every second. It was a pity, Sehun thought. Over the past months, the lighthouse had become his home.

_Home._

A term that wasn’t a given in their world anymore. Up until now, Sehun hadn’t considered himself lucky to have found something he could call a home, at least not actively. Whenever he’d spend the nights with Jongin at the beach, he’d _felt_ at home. But had he ever referred to it as his home? He wasn’t sure.

Now, that the shape of the lighthouse blurred with the landscape, Sehun realized that in the end, he’d never been able to truly appreciate until it was taken away from him again.

 

🕠 🕠 🕠

 

_The mechanical whirring of a measuring station filled the air around Sehun. What the instrument measured, Sehun didn’t know. All he knew was that as soon as he’d managed to get the electricity generator him and Jongin had found going, all the measuring instruments and computers started coming to live._

_The sound of the processors filled Sehun’s heart with a unique kind of excitement, and when his eyes met Jongin’s, he couldn’t help but smile._

_“I guess we have a lot of things to explore.”_

_The room on the first floor of the light house was where Sehun stayed the whole day for almost a week. Trying to get a sense for what the instruments’ purpose was, Sehun had decided to dig through the computers and recordings but nothing interesting had come up. Some of the measuring stations were easy to handle, some Sehun still didn’t know how to use after examining for hours. Besides the computers, there was one other thing Sehun had found in the tiny room that had caught his interest._

_It was an old radio, dusty and kind of retro-looking. When Sehun turned it on, only static came out of the speakers. What he would have given for music, he’d thought back then. He’d made a mental note to tell Jongin to search for CDs in the abandoned store in the village because the radio had a CD slot._

_One day, they’d been living in the light house for about a month now, something else besides static spilled from the speakers. Both Jongin and him stilled, their hearts pounding in their chests as they listened to the voice that declared a message._

_“Announcement: The military station I near the city of Seoul has been evacuated. All residents that had remained there are now in military station II, closer to the city centre. In case of emergency, come to the Western gates of the military station II. If you hear this, know that you’re not alone. End of announcement.”_

_The two had shared a look, the sudden silence feeling too heavy between them. They were sitting on the kitchen table where Sehun had placed the radio after kidnapping it from its original spot on the first floor of the lighthouse, now decorating the place that they’d gotten comfortable in._

_Military station I. That was the station Sehun had broken into before he’d even met Jongin. It was the station with the data on Project EXO-L. That meant that maybe, the day the recordings had broken off, the scientists hadn’t been killed but rather removed to another military base, just a little closer to the Seoul city centre. Thus, there was a chance that they were still working on the antiserum, or that they had already found a successful formula. The last recordings Sehun had found had sounded rather promising after all._

_That was the day when Sehun decided to tell Jongin all about his findings at the military base._

🕠 🕠 🕠

“With a break, it’ll take us approximately 4 hours until we’re in Seoul. We might have to stop for gas again at some point but we might even reach the city before sundown. Then, we only have to head to the western entrance of the military base too. I don’t know exactly where the base is but I have a rough idea and there should be traffic signs as well, I think.”

Sehun had torn his eyes away from the rear-view mirror. The sight of the lighthouse getting smaller only added to the churning in his gut and he decided that it was better to focus on the task at hand.

“That sounds… good.” Jongin nodded, staring out of the window. They were still on the small path, soon to hit the larger road that would take them to the highway. The ocean was right beside them, wide and deep blue under the burning sun.

On a normal day, they would’ve undressed and jumped into the water instead of packing up all that was dear to them and shoving it into the trunk of their car.

And even if it had started out as a normal day, it certainly wasn’t one anymore.

“Did you check if he had the extra gas can in the trunk?” Sehun turned his head to look at Jongin. The colour had returned to his face a little, the initial shock had seeped away from the purpose. However, Sehun didn’t doubt that it was gnawing at the other, just like it was gnawing on him from the inside.

It would take a few more hours until the fever would break out.

The fever. It was the first step of the transformation. They’d both learned about this the hard way when they’d approached someone who’d got bitten back when they’d still been wandering around Seoul. They hadn’t been able to help the man anymore, but in return for a bottle of water and some food, the man had told him about how the virus was slowly tearing him apart.

Apparently, it started out with nothing more than a bit of itchiness where the bite was. Over the course of a few hours, a light fever was supposed to break out, later turning into higher temperatures and eventually delirium shortly before the 48h mark where the person’s heart would stop beating.

They still had a little bit of time left until the fever would hit Jongin.

About an hour and a half had passed. Too much time, in Sehun’s opinion. They could still make it to Seoul before the fever set in, but every second seemed like a wasted second, even though all they’d done in the 90 minutes had been for the purpose of preparing their departure from the lighthouse.

“Yeah, it was right where we left it after we refilled it.” Jongin had finally turned his head to look at Sehun, their eyes meeting for a short moment. He wanted to smile, but his lips wouldn’t listen to him, no matter how hard he tried.

It wasn’t like they hadn’t been preparing for this situation. In fact, they’d prepared the whole car for this purpose, had packed emergency bags and had taken measures so that they could have a safe journey towards Seoul in case they needed to leave quickly. Like today, for example.

However, they’d of course never intended to need the safety measurements. That’s what they’d been to them, safety measurements. Nothing they’d wanted to use, nothing they’d wanted to be in need for. Yet, as they took the turn on the road that would bring them to the highway, Sehun was glad that they’d done it.

Like this, all they’d had to pack had been their personal belongings, the things they used on an everyday basis. Their whole life was packed into a bag, thrown into the trunk of the car and being shaken by the bumpy road they were driving on. Sehun couldn’t have found a more matching representation of how he felt in that moment.

“And you’re really, really sure there’ll be an antiserum?” Jongin asked him out of the blue.

“I’m sure.” Sehun replied even though he wasn’t. “I told you what the recordings said. The last research subject was still alive and had survived longer than the previous ones. That was months ago, Jongin. If they hadn’t figured it out then, they will surely have figured it out until now.” Of course, there was no way of knowing that. But there wasn’t any sense in giving up hope before it had fully bloomed yet either.

“I guess so.” Jongin nodded, his eyes flitting to the bandage around his arm for a moment.

“Let me put on some music.” Sehun suddenly said. The pads of his fingers were already touching the sleek cover of one of the CDs they’d found at the store in the city. To their enjoyment, not only the radio back at the lighthouse was able to play CDs but there was also a CD player in the car.

“Sehun, I don’t really feel like listening to music right now.” The protest from Jongin’s side came immediately but Sehun wouldn’t have it.

“It’ll make us feel better, I promise.” He send Jongin a smile, a real one this time. “I promise.

The look on Jongin’s face told him that the other wasn’t convinced yet, but with a sigh, he nodded. “Go on then.”

Sehun slid the CD into the slit without Jongin even looking. When the first tunes started playing, his boyfriend couldn’t help but smile. “Really?”

With a smug grin, Sehun just shrugged, pulling the car onto the highway. “Really.”

 

🕠 🕠 🕠

 

_“I want you. I want you so bad, it’s driving me mad, it’s driving me mad.”_

_They’d found some CDs at the local store, but all of them had been classics. Nothing they were really used to listening, but after so long, just the sounds of harmonic instruments and singing felt so good to their ears that they broke out into large smiles when the radio worked without any problems, playing the CDs they’d fed into it._

_Abbey Road by the Beatles. Sehun had never once laid hand on that album before that day but now he found himself dancing along to the tunes, Jongin in his arms as they twirled around the kitchen with the sounds of guitars ringing in their ears._

_“I want you. I want you so bad.”_

_Jongin giggled when Sehun played air guitar for him, and he laughed when Sehun’s eyes scrunched shut as he pretended to sing along even though he had no clue what the lyrics were and English had never really been his forte either way._

_“It’s driving me mad.”_

_Long arms wrapped around Jongin’s slender waist as Sehun pulled him close, still a little breathless from his little impromptu performance. Jongin was still grinning, his lips suddenly so close that they almost touched Sehun’s._

_“It’s driving me mad.”_

_Soft lips brushed together, eyes fluttering shut as the sounds of electric guitars and bass drowned out in the silence of their own little world._

🕕 🕕 🕕

The song had become their song, of some sort. They’d listened to it in the kitchen while preparing food from the cans they’d collected, they’d listened to it while they drove to the grocery store to stock up on said cans, and they’d listened to it while they fucked on the kitchen table, the cans long forgotten and still unpacked.

In just a few months, the song had been loaded with memories so much that Sehun knew he would never be able to listen to it again without thinking back of their time at the lighthouse.

Who even knew, maybe they’d be able to return some day? Right now, nothing was certain.

The guitar riffs filled the space between them, filling the voids the unspoken words between them had left earlier. About halfway through the song, Jongin’s hand slipped onto Sehun’s thigh. It was a simple gesture but to Sehun, it was just what he’d needed.

“Just four hours, Jongin. In four hours we can make it to Seoul. And then, we’re gonna find that military base.”

At that point, however, Sehun didn’t know that nothing would go as planned yet.

 

🕖 🕖 🕖

 

Sehun had never been in a car where a tire burst. Especially not when he was the one behind the steering wheel.

213 kilometres. That’s how much they’d already driven in the past three hours. The highway had been mostly empty, except for some cars that had been abandoned near the exits, creating little rows of vehicles that Sehun had to avoid. It was almost like racing a car in a video game. Mostly empty streets minus the occasional obstacle.

The biggest obstacle, however, had come entirely unexpected.

From one second to another, Sehun lost control over the car.

He’d just been slowing down a little because Jongin had told him that they should stop somewhere because he needed to pee.

In the end, that might have been their luck because instead of 130 miles per hour, Sehun had already slowed down to about 80.

Still, the moment the car swerved to the side uncontrollably, Jongin shrieked as Sehun attempted to change the course. His hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles stood out white as he tried to maneuver the car away from the crash barrier separating the two directions. A deafening noise filled their ears as the sides of the car connected with the barrier.

Slamming the breaks, Sehun managed to finally change the direction away from the crash barrier. However, his initial idea of stabilizing the movements of the car went down the drain the moment it disconnected from the barrier.

Instead of driving in a straight line like he’d hoped for the car to do, he swerved to the opposite direction. They still hadn’t come to a stop, but they were considerably slower now. The only problem was that they were steering right towards one of the abandoned cars at the side of the road.

“Sehun!” Jongin was screaming beside him, gripping onto wherever he could as they sped right towards the empty car in front of them.

There were only a few metres between them, the distance closing quicker than they could register.

With a last movement of his hand, Sehun managed to steer the car away from the obstacle in front of them.

Just seconds later, they came to a stop.

With shaky fingers, Sehun fumbled for the door opener. His legs wouldn’t work properly as he attempted to step out of the car, instead falling to his knees.

Jongin had been about to reach for him over the middle console when Sehun threw up.

Scrambling to get out of the car, Jongin’s legs felt shaky as he rounded the car with wobbly steps, kneeling down beside Sehun who was taking hurried, deep breaths, damn near close to hyperventilating.

“Sehun… Sehun, slow down. Don’t breathe so deeply. Listen to me. On my count. One… two… three.” Jongin’s soothing voice reached his ears, but it sounded faint even though he was right next to him.

By the time Sehun’s anxiety attack had passed, he was able to breathe somewhat normally again. The tightness in his chest was still there though, and he knew that it wasn’t going to disappear until this whole mess had been solved. Even now, he swore he could feel it tighten with every passing second.

“I almost killed you.” Was the first thing that he managed to say after Jongin had made him drink half a bottle of water. It had helped to wash away the bitter taste of gall, but the taste of what had just happened still lingered.

“Sehun, no.” Jongin shook his head immediately. Just the thought of Sehun blaming himself made him feel uncomfortable, because there was no way that it had been Sehun’s fault.

“But-“

“No.” Jongin intervened before the other could even start. “The tire blew. You could’ve done nothing to prevent that. You know we regularly check the wheels. The chances were minimal…” His palm was resting on Sehun’s back to soothe him but apparently it didn’t help too much judging by the pained expression in Sehun’s eyes. Still, Jongin continued. “What you did was save us. You saved me. Because even in such a horrible situation, you managed not to make the car crash against that car over there. Or the barrier.” Jongin shuddered at the thought of how this could’ve ended.

Funnily enough, the thought of dying in a car crash was still incredibly scary to him even though he was the one infected with a deadly virus that had no clear chances of being healed. Yet, Jongin was still in shock from the almost crash that could’ve meant imminent death. It was kind of ironic, he thought, how it scared him so much.

“How could it burst?” Sehun’s voice still sounded a little shaky, but it was getting stronger. A wave of relief hit Jongin. If there was one thing he really couldn’t stand, it was seeing Sehun upset. Something about the pain and fear in his eyes made his heart ache so much more than any of his own troubles ever could.

Jongin didn’t know the answer to Sehun’s question. It wasn’t the most burning one in his mind either. There was something else nagging at him now, just adding to the tense feeling he already couldn’t shake off. “What are we going to do now?” He quietly asked.

“I- We need a new car. That’s for sure.” Stretching out, Sehun was back to a standing position. His face still looked unusually pale, but Jongin was glad to see that he didn’t seem to be on the brink of fainting anymore. It put his mind at ease for now.

“Right… I mean we could try that one over there. But right now, we’re out in the open and it’s going to get dark really soon. If can’t use that car, we should go look for somewhere else to stay or walk until we find another car.”

“Yes, that’s probably the only option we have.” Walking out in the open without any place to retreat wasn’t something that Jongin particularly looked forward to. However, dying from the EXO virus wasn’t something he was interested in either so walking until they found a functioning car seemed like the lesser burden.

As expected, it would have been too easy if the car they almost crashed into was still functional. While they were fully capable of starting a car without keys by now, they quickly realized that the tank was empty. Initially, they thought of putting in the gas from their spare canisters they carried in the trunk for situations like that but Sehun stopped Jongin just in time when he realized that the other car actually worked with Diesel instead of gas.

While Sehun wandered back to the car to load the canister back into the trunk of the van, Jongin strolled around the area aimlessly. They hadn’t decided on whether they should move into the direction they’d come from to walk to one of the cars they’d passed or move forward. Neither of the two could remember when they’d last spotted abandoned cars, the sight too uninteresting for them to have put any thought into it as they’d been driving by. Now, Jongin wished he’d focused on their surroundings more.

As he walked into the direction of where they’d come from to check if he could see a car in the distance if he walked just a few hundred metres, Jongin stumbled upon something.

His heart started pounding in his chest, and his palms began to feel clammy. Stepping close, he knelt down to confirm what he hadn’t been willing to admit to himself just now.

Somewhere behind him, Sehun was searching through the trunk of their car to pack the most important things into large backpacks. They would have to abandon most of the things they’d wanted to bring along and reduce their luggage to the minimum, so Sehun had taken it upon himself to sort through the things they both deemed absolutely necessary while Jongin explored their surroundings for hints of their next vehicle.

Instead of a car though, he’d found something that was far more interesting, even though in a much more disturbing way.

“Hey, Sehun.” Jongin called out, straightening up. There was a lump in his throat that didn’t seem to disappear no matter how often he tried to swallow it down.

“Yeah?” Turning around from where he’d just stuffed a pair of underwear into the backpack, Sehun faced Jongin with an inquiring expression on his face.

“I think I found the reason for our accident. Or rather, the reason why our tire burst.” Nodding at what he’d just found, Jongin pointed at the neatly arranged row of long, metal pikes, thick enough to penetrate a car tire. The line of spikes began at one side of the street and continued to the other, covering all three lanes. There was no doubt that this was intentional.

“Sehun, someone did this on purpose. And whoever wants to make people’s car’s tires burst, they won’t mean anything good. And what’s even worse, they’re probably close. We have to get away from here. _Right now_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think they'll be caught? How will that affect their plan to go to Seoul? Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't watched the teaser video yet, here's the [link](https://youtu.be/xfzg0uD4uCs) to it. Also, you can find the matching playlist to this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/n1xn950yyu6ho5knsilmleeam/playlist/15TErgjUZtwfiRvNgCGuQf?si=8XhL_R1-R9-J9Y0d3d_Efg).

"We have to get away from here. Right now.”

The air above the concrete was flickering from the heat. In the last half an hour, the temperature seemed to have risen by a few degree. The summer had been one of the hottest ones Sehun had experienced so far in his life, but right now, he wasn’t sure if the heat was coming from outside or from within him.

"It's a trap."

They both knew what that meant. Day Zero hadn't only turned the ones that were infected by the virus into monsters but many, many more, too.

"We have to leave as quickly as possible.” Sehun looked around, his eyes scanning their surroundings. The fields surrounding them were filled with sunflowers, large enough to hide people. For a second, he wondered if they were being watched already. “If there are people that are willing to let people have an accident, they're not the kind of people we want to encounter. We're lucky if they haven't spotted us yet and we're even luckier if they aren't even on their way yet.” Large trees were looming over the fields, just a few hundred metres separating them. Another perfect spot for the enemy to hide and wait. The heat that Sehun had felt just seconds ago was suddenly replaced by a coldness, a shiver running down his spine. It was the kind of feeling that no drop in temperature could ever induce. Tearing his eyes away from the deep green trees, he met Jongin’s eyes. “And judging by our luck in the past eight hours, we really shouldn't risk staying any second longer."

 

Without sparing the row of spikes on the concrete another glance, they both hurried back to the car. Sehun had already packed quite a few things that they could need in the next few hours but the rest that he hadn't sorted through was precariously thrown into two large backpacks. There was no sense in packing more than they both could carry without struggling too much, especially if they were on the run from an invisible enemy.

 

🕢 🕢 🕢

 

_A butterfly had settled on one of the many rocks that littered the ground around them. A few hundred metres away from the lighthouse, Sehun and Jongin sat on a wooden bench that probably had served as a beautiful picnic spot for seniors, families and couples that took a nice walk along the coast not too long ago. Now, the two were seated next to the ocean, sharing a pack of cookies that they’d taken from the grocery store in the village. In the past few weeks, the bench had become one of the many spots they’d discovered for themselves, the beautiful view of the ocean with small flowers growing in-between the cracks were the rocks had left clefts. The last time they’d been there, Jongin had started coming up with stories how the large rocks had ended up there with no mountain or hill close to the ocean. Sehun’s favourite idea that Jongin had come up with had been the one were giants had played a game of golf and had used the rocks as their golf balls._

_"Where you alone right from the start, too?"_

_Halfway through a cookie, Jongin stilled. A crumb was sticking to the left corner of his lips and without thinking, Sehun reached out to brush it away._

_Jongin took his time to answer. Two pairs of eyes were directed at the sea in front of him but Sehun didn’t have to look at Jongin to know that he wasn’t smiling anymore._

_"No.” Jongin’s voice was steady, but there was something in it that made Sehun reach out, his fingers closing over Jongin’s hand. The cookie Jongin had been eating just now laid on his thigh, already forgotten._

_“I was at home when the virus broke out. I still lived with my family."_

_Sehun hummed. They’d talked about their families a few times. Sehun had showed him a picture of his dog Vivi on his phone and Jongin had smiled so fondly at that._

_"And then you parted ways?" The idea seemed unlikely, but Sehun asked anyway. It was a sensitive topic but he liked to believe that his relationship with Jongin was deep enough for the other to trust him with this._

_"Well... Not really."_

_The butterfly rose into the air, the beautiful yellow wings flapping in the sunlight. The colour reminded him of the bright yellow flowers that his mother had liked so much._

_"You don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable." Even though he did want to learn more about Jongin, Sehun wanted him to do it at his own pace. Maybe he’d already taken a step too far by bringing it up. The thought didn’t sit well with him._

_As if Jongin had read his mind, he softly squeezed Sehun’s hand, his head turning towards him. The smile was back on his face, but it was a sad one._

_"I have never talked to anybody about this. I mean, obviously I haven't. Who would've been there to talk to?" He chuckled. The sound was dry, unlike the giggles that Sehun adored so much. "Thinking about it makes me... Guilty."_

_Chrysanthemums. Those were the flowers his mother had loved so much. Their garden had been littered with them and the balcony attached to his parents bedroom had been decorated with the flowers. Even though they were several colours, Sehun’s mother had loved the yellow ones the most._

_"Guilty?"_

_Looking back at the ocean, Jongin nodded._

_"Yeah."_

 

🕢 🕢 🕢

 

Their initial idea had been to follow the highway by foot until they’d find another car to take them to Seoul. It had been a good plan, the most logical one. Now, with the threat of being observed by the unknown, the prospect of walking on a highway, completely exposed to both sides with nowhere to hide, didn’t seem as appealing anymore.

Therefore, they’d decided to head for the fields instead. Sunflowers, as tall as they were, parted for them as they pushed their way through. Bugs buzzed around them, making it hard to breath through their mouth so they kept them shut. It was better not to talk either way. The thicket was beautiful at first glance, but it was also dangerous, if not deadly. They couldn’t see ahead further than a metre or two, and the sounds of stalks breaking and crunching under their feet seemed loud, so awfully loud.

“How are you feeling, Jongin?” Sehun asked his boyfriend. The other was walking in front of them, pushing large stalks out of the way as they moved forward. They’d tried to walk a straight line to the other side of the field but Sehun had long lost his orientation in the masses of flowers. He had no clue if they were still walking into the same direction they’d started out with.

At least the heat was a little more bearable in-between the rows of plants.

“I’m alright, Sehun.”

Jongin’s voice was stable, but Sehun couldn’t see the expression on his face.

 

🕗 🕗 🕗

 

_"It was about two weeks after the virus broke out.”_

_The butterfly had landed on another rock, much closer to them now. Sehun remembered that someone had once told them to never touch a butterfly’s wings as it would take away its ability to fly by damaging the wings. Until now, he didn’t know if it was just a story or if that was actually true. There was a morbid fascination of wanting to try it out to see if it was true, but he stayed put, not moving an inch._

_“You have to know, I lived together with my father, mother and sisters.” Jongin continued. It had taken him more than a minute to make up his mind to speak up again after all. Sehun had almost expected him to just drop the topic but it seemed like the other was now set on telling the story. They were still holding hands, but it was starting to feel clammy._

_“We had three dogs too. They were poodles. You know, when we bought them we thought they were toy poodles but then they grew bigger and bigger..." Jongin let out a chuckle at that. This time, it sounded fond. "Anyways, so I lived with my family. After two weeks of being locked up in the flat after the shutdown, we were slowly but surely running out of food. My mom had all these dishes left in the freezer cause she always cooks too much but with so many people, there wasn’t much left after 14 days.”_

_Sehun didn’t correct him when Jongin used the present tense. It was still hard to grasp that maybe, or rather most likely, none of the people that they’d once known where still somewhere out there. At the same time, Sehun wouldn’t have exactly called himself a survival expert either. With a serious distaste for bugs and anything that crawled and had more than four legs, a considerably picky taste and a weakness for fashion, he wasn’t the ideal type to survive a zombie apocalypse. Yet here he was, alive and pretty well-off for post-Day-Zero standards._

_“That's why I left them to head to the closest grocery store.” Jongin explained. Their fingers were still laced together, but Sehun wasn’t sure if he was just imagining the slight tremor coming from his boyfriend’s hand. “I was planning to raid it for necessary things, taking as much as I could carry before I hurried back."_

_"And then something went wrong?" He tried to sound as empathetic as possible without being pushy at the same time. There was no use in forcing something out of Jongin that he wasn’t willing or ready to talk about just yet._

_Next to him, Jongin shook his head._

_"That's the thing. Nothing really went wrong. At least not for me. I got to the store without meeting anyone, I grabbed dozens of cans and water bottles and then headed back home. There was not a single incident. I was gone for maybe 40 minutes. But when I came back, nobody was home anymore."_

_The butterfly was gone. There were no traces of it left, only the bright yellow flowers that grew out of the cracks between the stones around them._

_"What do you mean nobody was home?" Sehun asked carefully._

_It took Jongin a moment to find the right words. He was staring at something invisible in front of them and Sehun was sure, that right then, Jongin wasn’t here with him. He was back in Seoul, in his flat with a backpack loaded with food and necessities but there was no one to welcome him anymore._

_"The flat looked absolutely trashed." The words were almost inaudible, Jongin’s voice overpowered by the crashing of the waves. Sehun heard them anyways._

_"There were no traces of my family, neither my parents nor the dogs. To this day, I don't know what happened."_

🕗 🕗 🕗

 

6 hours and 35 minutes. Roughly the time it would take to take a plane from Seoul to Kuala Lumpur. Sehun wished he had spent the spent the past hours doing that, maybe if it only had been planning a vacation in his head.

He hadn’t even realized how much time had passed already. While 48 hours hadn’t seemed like a long time to begin with, 41.5 hours seemed a lot less reassuring.

At this point, they’d wanted to have been more than a few kilometres closer to Seoul already.

Seoul.

Sehun wondered if the city was his home any longer. If Jongin would’ve asked him just a month ago, he might have said yes, Seoul was still his home, at least in one part of his heart.

But now that they’d left the lighthouse behind, he knew that he might never get to have anything as close as home as that little spot at the coast where time seemed to have stood still until one moment had changed it all.

 

 

🕣 🕣 🕣

 

_“I have pictures of them on my phone too. It just hurts to look at them.”_

_They were still sitting on the bench, a soft breeze brushing over their skin. Sehun’s lips tasted of salt as he licked them, his eyes falling shut. If he droned out long enough, it was almost easy to imagine that he was just on vacation, a really long vacation._

_“I know, Jongin.” He opened his eyes again, blinking at the harsh light of the sun. His eyes landed on something yellow on his thigh and Sehun almost jerked his hand against it out of reflex. When he realized that it was the beautiful butterfly from earlier, he relaxed, his hand sinking down again to lace his fingers with Jongin’s once again._

_With a sigh, he turned his head to catch Jongin staring at him. His eyes were red, but Sehun couldn’t see any tears._

_“I know, Jongin.” He repeated. “But one day, it’s going to hurt a little less.”_

🕣 🕣 🕣

 

At the sight of a house, Sehun pulled Jongin behind the thick stem of a tree. They’d long left the sunflower fields behind them. They’d been walking through the forest for a about half an hour, going straight forward. He’d managed to find the compass in their backpack and they’d decided to head north.

Trees upon trees came their way, but they didn’t spot a single soul, much to their relief. The only time they stopped walking was when Jongin grabbed for the bottle of water, originally wanting to take only a few sips but he ended up drinking the whole bottle. Worriedly, Sehun had asked to feel Jongin’s forehead to check the fever but before he could get to it, Jongin had turned his face away, already shouldering his backpack again to continue their way. “I’m fine.” He’d mumbled, and like that, Sehun had had to accept it.

Now, a large two-story house was looming in the middle of the forest. There was a street connected to it and a car stood in the driveway. At the sight of it, Sehun’s heart pounded faster. Jongin and him shared a look, knowing that they were both thinking the same thing.

Maybe they had just found their ticket to Seoul.

However, none of them dared to move just yet. Before they could check out the house, they first had to make sure that the people that had created the trap on the motorway didn’t occupy it. The chances were pretty big since it had been the first building they’d come across since they’d left the car, but neither of the two wanted to lose the spark of hope that had ignited at the sight of the vehicle and the house.

After a good ten minutes of observing the windows, they decided to give it a shot. With a loaded gun in his hand, Sehun decided to go first, Jongin close behind them. Even after all these months, the grip of a gun still felt foreign to him. There came strange heaviness with it that Sehun wasn’t sure was physical or only a phantom weight in his heart.

Silently, they made their way towards the car. As much as Sehun wanted to immediately check if it was fully functional, they first had to check the garage and the house for unwelcome visitors. Pushing aside the fact that they were the visitors most likely, he reached for the door handle, not surprised to find it unlocked.

His heartbeat was audible in his ears as he gently pushed open the door. He’d almost expected it to creak, to make a noise like it would in the movies, but it stayed quiet. In fact, everything was eerily quiet. The sounds of their breathing felt unnaturally loud to his ears, only interrupted by the occasional chirping of a bird.

Behind him, Jongin bumped into Sehun when the other suddenly came to a halt.

For a second, he’d thought he’d seen something move but then he realized that it had just been the curtains in the kitchen that were softly swinging in the wind that came in through the open window.

Carefully but efficiently, they checked the ground floor. It didn’t look like anybody had been in the house in a while. Dust had gathered on every single surface and when Sehun swiped his finger across the kitchen table, he left a visible trace in the thick layer.

The walk up the flight of stairs was nerve-wracking. With every step, they expected the wood planks to creak. By the time they’d reached the first floor, the adrenaline levels in Sehun’s body had reached a maximum.

The first few rooms were empty. They found a small bathroom as well as a room that looked like it used to belong to a child.

A loud sound of something shattering in the hallway made them still. Without sharing a word, they pressed to opposite walls of the door that led to the hallway. Inch by inch, Sehun moved forward to peek into the hallway.

For a second, he’d expected there to be someone right in front of him. Not a zombie, no. They were louder than this. Only a fully capable human would have been able to stay so quiet the whole time.

But as he stared into the hallway, he couldn’t see anything. Only when his eyes landed on the ground a few feet away, he identified the source of the noise. There, a vase laid shattered. A fox was staring at it with wide eyes, rooted to the spot. It was most likely still shocked from the loud noise but when Sehun took another step forward, it bolted down the stairs in the speed of lightning.

Letting out a breath, Sehun motioned to Jongin that everything was okay. They continued their way through the first floor, realising that it was empty as well. Besides the shattered vase that the fox had pushed over, there were no signs of any living creature currently occupying the house.

Still, they checked the second floor that seemed to have been an attic before it had been transformed into two more large rooms, both empty as well.

“The house is empty.”

It felt good to speak again. Not much time had passed, maybe twenty minutes, but it had felt like forever. It was a rough contrast to the run against time Sehun had felt in the past hours.

“We should check the car if we can use it. If it’s good to go, we should leave right away.” Jongin looked around the kitchen. They’d decided to head downstairs again, both of them sitting at the kitchen table as they let their gazes wander over the walls of the room.

The one opposite of them was littered with pictures. Frames and sizes of all sorts decorated the off-white wall, showing a family of five. They were all smiling into the camera, no matter what picture they looked at. There were shots of a little boy and a man playing in the garden, pictures of a teenage girl swimming in a lake. In one picture, a young girl, maybe around eight years-old, was playing with a puppy.

Tearing his eyes away, Sehun nodded at Jongin. The other was looking tired. He wasn’t sure if the bags under his eyes had been there the whole day already, but something seemed to be off. The thought of what could be the reason for it made Sehun swallow down the lump that had formed in his throat.

“Let’s check out the car and see if our lucky streak continues.”

 

🕣 🕣 🕣

 

_The wall behind his back felt cold. The last rays of sunshine had long disappeared behind the thick blinds that closed off the flat from the rest of the world, hidden away in one of the many rooms of the building Sehun was hiding in. In his hands, he was holding his phone, the battery dead._

_He hadn’t had it on for weeks, the electricity from the sockets having long stopped flowing. For days, he’d been searching for a place with a generator. He’d attempted to head to the hospital, hoping to find one there, only to realize that the place was packed with zombies for some reason._

_The screen in front of him was black. The screen protector was slowly coming off, cracked at the edge already._

_He’d just wanted to look at the faces of his family again, to see his brother and his brother’s  wife, his mother and father, his dog. Slowly but surely, the memory of their faces were fading. And every time he realized that it was harder to recall the pictures in his mind, Sehun’s heart clenched._

 

🕣 🕣 🕣

 

7 hours and 52 minutes.

That much time had passed ever since Jongin had been bitten. Outside, the sun was starting to set and when they stepped out of the house, still wary of their surroundings, the air felt less suffocating. The breeze from earlier still caressed their skin, now less of a blow dryer feeling but more of a gentle caress. The air felt cleaner and Sehun took a deep breath, inhaling the musk of the trees around them.

“Let’s see if we’re lucky.” Jongin had stepped out the house right after Sehun, immediately steering towards the car. It was an SUV of some sort, useful for a house so far out in the woods. Even though they didn’t know about the surroundings of the house beyond the trees, everything they could see was green and brown.

They’d found a set of keys on a hanger in the hallway, complete with the car keys. Pressing the button, the car unlocked and Jongin slid into the driver’s seat, pushing the ignition. He hesitated for a second but then started the car, both of them holding their breath in anticipation.

The sound of the engine humming filled the air. Both of them let out relieved laughter but then Jongin’s expression suddenly changed to serious and Sehun was about to ask what was wrong.

Wordlessly, Jongin pointed at the fuel gauge and Sehun realized what he was referring too.

The needle was on the bottom of the gauge, pointing at the red area.

“Some cars can still drive for like 80 kilometres when it’s on red.” Sehun tried to argue but the look in Jongin’s eyes made him realize that now wasn’t the time to risk things.

“Some cars do, yeah. But what if this car only has gas for like a kilometre left? Then we’re in the middle of the woods with no working car, no house and no place to hide.”

It was fruitless to argue because Sehun knew that Jongin was right. “What if I head back to the our car and take one of the canisters in the trunk? We have both gas and diesel in the car. What type does this one need?” He asked, already walking around it to get open the door to the passenger’s seat. Reaching into the glove compartment, Sehun searched for the vehicle registration book. When he found he was looking for, he quickly scanned the small piece of paper with his eyes and hummed in approval. “Gas.” He elaborated when he caught Jongin’s questioning eyes. It was the same fuel they’d used for their car.

“I’ll come with you.” Jongin said. There were pearls of sweat on his forehead and judging by the decrease in temperature, they no longer stemmed from the heat, as much as Sehun wished it were that way.

“No, you’re staying here. You’re sweating Jongin, the fever-“

“The fever is not that bad yet. I’m just feeling a little hot, that’s all.” He brushed it off.

“Well, and in half an hour it can be a lot worse already. We have no clue how quick this fever is working and how long it’ll take until you’ll feel too weak to walk. I don’t want to risk it. If there are people out there checking our car, I don’t want you to be there with me. Stay here, make sure no one takes the car while I’m gone. You’ll take the rifle, I’ll take the gun. It’s better that way, Jongin, trust me. Don’t you trust me?”

Conflict was evident in the other’s eyes. “Of course I trust you, but-“

“No buts, Jongin.” Before the other could protest, Sehun reached out to feel Jongin’s forehead for his temperature. It wasn’t extremely hot yet but when he compared it to his own, Jongin definitely had a higher temperature already. “You’re staying, and that’s that.”

“You talk to me like I’m some child.” There was a pout on Jongin’s lips but defeat also laced his words.

“I don’t talk to you as a child, Jongin.” Sehun shook his head. Cupping his cheek gently, he made sure that the other was looking at him.

“I talk to you as if you’re the only thing that still matters to me in my life.”

 

🕘 🕘 🕘

 

_“I love you, Sehun.”_

_Crisp white sheets were tangled between their naked legs, a sweaty, hot chest pressed against Sehun’s back. A small smile tugged on his lips and Sehun turned around to catch a glimpse at Jongin. Soft lips touched the corner of his mouth, and for a second, Sehun imagined that they were just on vacation in a nice hotel at the beach, away from college on a romantic holiday._

_But then he remembered that they were at the lighthouse, with the clocks still ticking but nobody to check if they were still running on time._

_And in moments like these, Sehun decided that as long as he still had Jongin, things weren’t so bad after all._

_“I love you too, Jongin.”_

🕘 🕘 🕘

 

It felt as though as all he’d seen in the past hour were just trees. By the movement of the sun, Sehun knew that a whole hour hadn’t even passed yet, but the events of the past couple hours were starting to catch up with him.

Although the thought of leaving Jongin behind hadn’t sat well with him either, he knew it had been the right decision. As they’d left the car, the other had looked tired, a lot more tired than he did after a day of labour. Reluctantly, Jongin had let him go, setting him off with a kiss and a whispered ‘I love you’ that was still ringing in Sehun’s ears.

If he was being quite honest, Sehun didn’t think he’d ever get enough of Jongin saying ‘I love you' to him. One time, it had gone as far as him recording it with his phone when they’d produced electricity with the generator. Jongin had called him cheesy, but it had been worth it for sure.

The memory put a smile on his face.

Instead of the bright orange and red that had been painted on the sky not too long ago, it was slowly leaning towards a deep blue. There was no doubt that by the time he headed back to the house, it would be dark already. He’d brought two flashlights and extra batteries, just to be safe.

Besides the need to get a gas canister, there was something else nagging at him. Shortly before he’d said goodbye to Jongin at the house, he’d realized that he’d lost his phone.

The phone that carried all the memories of his past life, all the proof of his existence before day zero. The photographs of his loved ones, the recording of Jongin’s voice.

Just the thought of all that being gone had almost made him cry. But in front of Jongin who was worrying for his life, he’d swallowed it down. Now, as he walked through the woods all on his own, his eyes burned with unshed tears at the thought of having lost the only connection to his former life, his former self.

Suddenly, the trees in front of him seemed to clear up. It appeared like he’d reached the edge of the forest, the large sunflower fields stretching in front of him. The buzzing of the bugs had died down together with the sunlight, but it was still bright enough for Sehun to spot the small group of people that had gathered around their car.

But Sehun knew that no matter how long it’d take until they disappeared, he’d wait, because there was no way he was going to just leave his phone behind and more importantly, there was no way he was going to let Jongin down.

🕙 🕙 🕙

_Only a few stars illuminated the deep blue firmament in the late hours of a long night. They were sitting at the beach, the feeling of millions of fine grains of sand tickling their feet as they looked up into the dark night sky._

_It was still warm outside, the air vibrating with noises of crickets and the sounds of waves breaking at the shore just a few feet ahead of them. Their footsteps from where they’d walked along the shore earlier in the day had been long washed away, only the two remaining as they listened to the waves crashing again and again._

_They were out there to look for shooting stars, but so far neither of the two had seen even a single one light up the dark firmament above them._

_They sat in silence._

_Eventually, one of them dropped his gaze and looked over to the man that was sitting right next to him, close, closer than he had thought. As he examined the other’s face, he watched the dark patterns that the shadows painted on his face shift whenever he moved. His eyes followed the way the other man’s head slightly tilted, his mouth opening just a little as he stared up into the night sky. Jongin wasn’t sure how long he’d been staring at his sculpted profile when the sound of a larger wave breaking pulled him out of his trance._

_"What are you thinking about?"_

_Sehun leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees. He gave the man next to him a small smile before he looked up at the sky again, the reflections of a billion stars hitting gleaming in his eyes. They’d spent the day prepping the bus in cases of emergencies. They’d only been at the lighthouse for about a month and it had been precarious to slack off until now but the two had enjoyed their time together so much, far away from the constant dangers in the city. After working on filling up the vehicle with what they deemed to be necessary goods, Jongin and Sehun had decided to head to the beach for a short while to attempt catching a few shooting stars. They hadn’t planned on staying for too long but once they’d settled down in the sand, keeping track of time had become secondary._

_"I was thinking about the stars, Jongin."_

_The younger man now rested his gaze on the Jongin, his head still slightly tilted as his eyes fixated the dancer._

_"What exactly?”_

_A small chuckle escaped Sehun, and for a second Jongin imagined seeing hints of embarrassment flare up in his expression._

_“Well, did you know we were all made out of stardust?" Sehun raised his gaze up to the sky again, unable to meet Jongin’s eyes. The statement had come out a lot more cheesy than he’d intended to and he wasn’t sure if the other was going to make fun of him for it._

_However, Jongin only sounded confused. "Hmm?" He hummed, following Sehun’s gaze up into the sky._

_Sehun cleared his throat, arranging his thoughts before he eventually began to elaborate._

_"When the Big Bang happened 13.7 billion years ago, millions of protons and neutrons collided with antiprotons and antineutrons, and only a tiny bit of matter was left. About two minutes after that the temperature sank to 1 billion degree Celsius and out of the the particles that were left behind the first hydrogen cores were made. Actually, electrons were added about 380000 years later and made them complete atoms. Anyway, the point is that stars can't produce hydrogen, so all of the 9.5 percent of hydrogen that is the total amount that appears in our body was made by the big bang. We're children of the big bang, we are made out of stardust."_

_As Sehun talked, Jongin’s eyes naturally focused on his profile again. He didn’t interrupt him once and remained quiet for a while even after the other was done talking. His eyes had locked onto the Sehun’s lips the whole time he’d been talking and now that they’d stopped moving, he wished the other would just continue._

_“Are you not gonna say anything?” Sehun asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice again. He’d sounded so absorbed into the matter when he’d cited his little monologue just now and Jongin immediately felt guilty._

_In all honesty, it was just really hard for him to wrap his head around it. Now, it wasn’t like Jongin wasn’t aware of everything being built up from extremely tiny particles, but even with acknowledgment of the existence of atoms, it was tough to really picture something as complex as the human mind and body consisting solely of a combination of chemical reactions and formulas. Even if he technically knew about it, Jongin just wasn’t able to really picture it._

_"Do you believe in that?" He asked Sehun instead of replying properly. Not only was he still trying to come up with a reply that made him sound less like a person with the mental capability of a goldfish, but he also was interested in what Sehun had to say about it. “That we are made out of particles that were created during the Big Bang? I mean the bible..." Jongin trailed off when Sehun started giggling. It wasn’t like he actually believed in the creation story but in the context it had seemed fitting to bring it up. With Sehun laughing though, Jongin felt a bit like an idiot for even mentioning it._

_"Why are you laughing?" He asked, a pout on his lips when Sehun still didn’t stop giggling._

_Sehun slowly turned his head to face him. By then, he’d finally calmed down, the giggles replaced by a smile firmly planted on his lips. "I was laughing because..." He paused as if he had to collect his thoughts first. “I laughed because you looked so cute when you brought up the bible. I just wasn’t expecting that.”_

_"Well, I didn’t expect you to bring up the big bang in the first place, so yeah…” Jongin rolled his eyes and Sehun immediately became serious._

_“Hey, Jongin. I didn’t mean to offend you.” He really hadn’t intended to annoy him by laughing, it really was the opposite. “I just really thought it was cute when you said that. I’m sorry, don’t look like a kicked puppy, please.”_

_The last line actually made Jongin laugh and he punched Sehun’s shoulder. “Shut up.” He grinned, eyes directed at the sky again._

🕥 🕥 🕥

By the time the group of people had left, the sun had set already. To Sehun’s relief, they’d headed towards the other side of the highway, getting into a car that took them into the direction in which they’d been planning to head as well. Sehun stored that information for later, assuming that it meant that the possibility of traps after that point was a lot less likely.

To make sure they hadn’t left anyone behind, Sehun waited for about another quarter of an hour until he finally dared to turn on his flashlight.

The walk through the sunflower field was a lot scarier at night. The anxiety of being attacked from any side at any time went through the roof now that it was dark, and even with a flashlight Sehun could only see so far.

When he’d finally made it through the field, he was already dreading the way back, especially with a heavy canister to carry.

It took him only few hurried steps to make it to the car. There was no one around him but still, he switched to the smaller flashlight in case the group decided to come back. The light cone was smaller, less noticeable that way.

The first thing that Sehun noticed was that they’d taken the gas canisters. Disappointment hit him for a second, but he didn’t feel despair. He’d already expected something along the lines. To his luck, the group hadn’t taken the empty canister with them so he was able to get the remaining gas out of the gas tank of the car. In the past few months, he’d become a pro at stealing gas out of cars so it wasn’t a big deal.

However, before he got down to that, Sehun needed to search for his phone. He doubted that he could focus on the task without having the mobile in his pockets, safe and secure.

First, he searched through the trunk of the car. As expected, the people that had mugged them had taken all of the bags they’d packed with them. There wasn’t much left and Sehun had the sinking feeling that maybe, his phone was already a few kilometres down the road with new owners.

Still, he didn’t give up just yet. If there was one thing he’d learned besides stealing gas from car tanks, it was not to give up hope. Sticking to a tiny piece of hope, not matter how small it was and now matter how unrealistic a positive outcome seemed, it was the only way to keep your sanity in a world like theirs.

Next, Sehun headed towards the driver’s seat. Slipping behind the steering wheel, he first felt for the middle console, the soft light of the flashlight illuminating the space.

When he couldn’t find his phone, Sehun moved on, searching through the sides of the car door and then the glove compartment before he ultimately sank back into the seat, eyes fluttering shut as he forced himself to remember.

He needed his phone back. He needed it. There were so many memories on it, so many pieces of him that he felt like he needed to be whole. He remembered that one night Jongin and him had been looking out for shooting stars, the picture they took of themselves in the dark after they’d kissed, and suddenly, the memory was back.

Reaching underneath the seat, Sehun groped for the slim device. For a second, he thought he’d recalled it wrongly but then his fingers hit something and when he stretched a little more, his fingertips brushed against a familiar shape.

Sehun let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding when he dropped the phone in his lap, eyes falling shut again but this time with exhaustion. During the ride, Sehun had told Jongin to reach into his pocket to take out his phone and check the battery status. They’d charged it before they’d left, one of the rare times and while trying to get it out of Sehun’s pocket, it had slipped from Jongin’s fingers and under the seat.

Quite frankly, Sehun didn’t understand how he’d forgotten that, but now that he had it back, it didn’t matter anymore. Turning on the screen, a picture of Jongin and him smiled at him, dark and grainy. It was the shot from the night at the beach and naturally, Sehun had to smile.

The battery percentage stood at 73%, but what really caught his attention was the time.

23:19.

The numbers seemed to taunt him, and without wasting another second, Sehun slipped out of the car, knowing that he couldn’t lose more time than he had already.

🕚 🕚 🕚

_While Sehun rubbed his shoulder in mock hurt, Jongin spoke up again._

_"Actually, the longer I think about it, the more interesting and complex it gets. Personally, I find it rather disturbing to see people being forced to have one manufactured believe. Isn't believe something personal? What does it matter if I believe everything is made up of atoms? What does it matter if you preferred to believe in something else? Even though we might share the same views on some things, we'll never agree on everything.” Jongin had no idea when he’d turned straight up philosophical but now that he’d started it, he was just going to roll with it. “I mean let’s look at the bible. Even if we assumed that it is based on true events, the bible itself is still a work created by humans. It is not flawless."_

_Stunned silence filled the space between them, only interrupted by the sounds of the waves hitting the shore over and over again. Sehun was no longer looking at the sky, his full attention now directed at Jongin._

_“Now you’re the one who’s not saying anything.” Jongin whined. “So, do you believe that we are made out of stardust? Do you, personally, believe this?"_

_Sehun’s eyes flickered to the sky above them for a second, a faint smile on his lips as he thought about the question._

_"I know, that it must be this way. I know it. But knowledge doesn't equal belief, it doesn't equal faith. Even when I say that I pray for you before going to bed at night, that doesn’t mean I have to believe the creation story. At the same time, even though I had science classes at school and I can – or rather could – just  look up an article on the big bang on Wikipedia, even though I know it is a paradigm with worldwide recognition, I think you’re right. How can I decide, when I can’t even fathom the implications of either.”_

_He sighed, eyes wandering to meet Jongin’s._

_"And still, even though I say I believe in the big bang, it's kind of hard to believe all of this is just chemicals. You see, I have the knowledge, that it must be only atoms and molecules and whatever other particles are out there. But I also have the belief that there must be more to it than the human eye can capture. I can’t believe that something such as- something such as love can be captured by instruments of research.”_

_Jongin had nodded along as Sehun talked, understanding what he was trying to say. It was similar to what he’d thought about earlier but if he was honest it didn’t take him by surprise that their interpretations were alike. Right from the beginning, they’d always been on the same page._

_They were alone on the beach, as alone as they would probably ever be. With a short glance around them, Jongin checked for any zombies. Even though he didn’t think they’d find them here, the constant fear of possibly encountering them was omnipresent. As far as he could tell, there wasn’t anyone on the beach besides them though. Sehun appeared to have come to the same conclusion when he reached for Jongin’s hand, their fingers lacing together. They didn’t move, their hands resting in the sand, still warm from the sun that had gone down just an hour or so ago._

_It was getting colder now, and when Sehun scooted closer to Jongin’s side, the other didn’t comment on it, their fingers intertwined, Sehun began to draw lines with no clear meaning into the sand. “It sounds nice though, right? The thought of being created of stardust. It sounds so pretty.”_

_Unable to deny that, Jongin just noticed. They both were no longer focusing on the night sky, instead their eyes followed the random slides of Sehun’s fingers through the sand. Sometimes, the younger wished he could freeze moments like these. Moments in which he didn’t remember in what kind of world they were now living, moments in which he didn’t have to think about whether they’d have to fight for their lives in the next few moments. Only in moments like this, he really felt free._

_Jongin’s chin came to rest on his shoulder. Sehun almost flinched away before he realized what Jongin was doing. When he understood, he smiled instead, a soft upturn of the corners of his small but plump lips, his eyes scrunching up into crescents. Jongin’s breath tickled his ear and neck, making it harder for him to focus on drawing nonsense into the sand. Eventually, he gave up._

_Turning his head, their lips barely were centimetres apart. “We should probably head back soon. We don’t want to catch a cold. Or even worse, have someone catching us.” He mumbled, cheeks pinking at Jongin’s proximity._

_“You’re probably right.” The other replied, his low voice almost inaudible over the sound of the waves in front of them._

_Yet, neither of the two pulled away. Their eyes met again, and Sehun felt a spark run down his spine. The look in Jongin’s eyes was eyes was a promise for more, and the feeling of his fingers in his was the reassurance._

_His heart was pounding in his chest when he spoke up again and his words were barely above a whisper._

_"As much as I like to believe that we are made out of stardust, I can't believe all of this is just chemicals."_

_When their lips touched, a single shooting star crossed the sky above them, unnoticed._

🕛 🕛 🕛

Without the marks on the trees that he’d left on his way back to the sunflower field, Sehun doubted he would’ve found the way back to the house. The darkness and the weight of the canister were a hassle, and Sehun tripped over a root on the ground definitely more than only once.

A bad feeling overcame him when Jongin didn’t wait for him at the door after he’d imitated the howl of a wolf three times, just like they’d agreed on as their sign to recognize each other.

Carefully, Sehun put down the canister beside the car. Unlocking the door, he stepped into a dark hallway.

There were no sounds coming from the living room where Jongin said he’d wait for him. When Sehun rounded the corner, his eyes needed a moment to adjust to the darkness in the room.

There was a shape on the couch, and it remotely looked the size of a human.

“Jongin?” Sehun whispered, even though he knew making a sound could have been the last decision he’d made.

When there was no response, he stepped closer.

Outside, an owl hooted, the only sound that seemed to come through to his ears as he inched closer to the person on the couch. Against better judgement, Sehun turned on the flashlight, the light cone hitting a familiar face.

“Jongin.” He breathed, relieved that it was actually him. His chest was rising and Sehun reached out to touch his cheek gently, sucking in a breath at how hot his face was.

It seemed like Jongin had fallen asleep, and when Sehun reached out to touch his forehead to check his temperature, he couldn’t blame him.

Jongin was burning up, and there was no doubt that the fever had fully broken out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jongin's fever broke out. That means travelling will get a lot harder, right? Let me know in the comments what you thought about the chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't watched the teaser video yet, here's the [link](https://youtu.be/xfzg0uD4uCs) to it. Also, you can find the matching playlist to this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/n1xn950yyu6ho5knsilmleeam/playlist/15TErgjUZtwfiRvNgCGuQf?si=8XhL_R1-R9-J9Y0d3d_Efg).

_Fuck._

Sunlight was flooding through the blinds, the brackets between them far too large for them to be anything but a pretty addition to the interior of the room. The air was stale, too hot again already even though it was still early in the morning. There was a dullness in the back of his head, an ache that he knew would only get worse during the day and he wished he could shut his eyes again, lay down for another hour and just pull Jongin into his arms again and cuddle.

The alarm clock hadn’t gone off.

Initially, Sehun had set it to seven in the morning, early enough for them not to lose too much time but also not too much sleep either. After he’d found Jongin on the couch in the abandoned house, burning up from the fever, he’d put a wet washing cloth on his forehead. It didn't take much from him to wake Jongin up to make him drink something, and when he'd made sure the other was fast asleep again already, Sehun had settled on the other side of the couch for a not very comfortable sleeping position. Yet, Sehun had fallen asleep almost instantly.

A dreamless slumber had taken him, dragging him just underneath the surface of his consciousness. Before lying down, Sehun had worried about nightmares. He’d worried about reliving the scene of Jongin being bitten or seeing scenes of Jongin dying or turning. But nothing had happened, and the night had been almost peaceful until the exact moment Sehun had woken up, realizing that the sun was already standing up way higher than it should at seven in the morning.

During the night, the battery of his phone had died. While it had still been mostly charged, it seemed to have completely discharged in the past few hours. Cursing under his breath, Sehun sat up, his fingers running through his hair. He needed a shower but without running water, a bottle emptied over his head and some washing with a washing cloth had to be enough for now.

His eyes wandered to Jongin. The other was still fast asleep, sweat glistening on his forehead. When Sehun reached out to gently feel for his temperature, he was relieved to find out that it hadn’t seemed to have risen any more since he’d come back from the trip to their car.

“Hey… Jongin.” He gently cupped his face, watching as the other sleepily blinked his eyes open. For a second, confusion seemed to cloud his eyes, but then they cleared up.

“Sehun.” Jongin’s voice was croaky and Sehun couldn’t resist the urge to bend down and press a gentle kiss to his plump lips despite the fever and their morning breath.

“Good morning, Jongin. The alarm clock didn’t ring. I have no clue what time it is.” He explained, knowing that a look outside would probably give him a rough idea what time it currently was. Still, he stayed put next to Jongin, sending him another worried glance. “How are you feeling?”

“Hot…” Jongin murmured, slowly pushing himself up. “And not exactly in the good way.”

“If it’s any relief, you’re still the hottest man on the planet to me.” Sehun smirked even though there really wasn’t much to laugh about. Yet, when his words put a smile on Jongin’s face he knew they’d been worth it.

“Well, there aren’t that many men left, right?” Jongin replied jokingly, wincing a little when he lifted up the bandage to examine the bite marks on his arm.

“I should replace those.” Sehun motioned to the bandages, scooting a little closer to get a glimpse at what Jongin was looking at. When he caught sight of the wound, he wished he hadn’t though.

Unlike yesterday, the wound looked a lot worse. It wasn’t festering, not yet, but the colour had changed from red to a darker, rather unhealthy looking brown, blue veins starkly contrasting.

“I’ll fix this after we had something to eat, okay? We shouldn’t waste much more time, we already slept too long. By car, there are about 200 kilometres left until Seoul and we’ll have to stop in-between and get some gas from the abandoned cars. So the sooner we leave, the less we need to stress.”

It took them about 40 minutes to get washed up, have a rushed breakfast consisting of rusk and canned fruit, and for Sehun to fix Jongin’s bandage. Since they’d lost a good portion of their belongings the previous night, it didn’t take long to put everything into the car. After Sehun had cared for Jongin when he’d come back, he’d already filled up the gas in case they had to leave quickly. There hadn’t been that much left in their tank anymore but it would get them back to the highway and maybe about 40 kilometres or more until they’d have to search for a new gas source.

When they left the house behind, the new car carrying them down the tree-lined road, Jongin placed his hand on Sehun’s thigh. Outside, the sun already stood high in the sky and Sehun guessed that it was around ten. Next to him, Jongin was staring out of the window, lost in the trees rushing past them as they sped through the forest.

"I saw… I saw someone that had been bitten. Back before we met. It wasn't pretty. I mean I don't know how long it had been since they'd got bitten but when I spotted them it looked quite... horrifying." Jongin’s voice interrupted the silence. They’d lost all the records when they’d abandoned their car, but with his headache, Sehun couldn’t really bring himself to miss them just yet.

"I'm scared, Sehun."

His boyfriends words made him glance at him instead of the street for a second. "I know, Jongin." He replied. "I'm scared as well."

"Sehun, if we don't make it in time or if there isn't even an antiserum, you'll have to kill me."

The air inside the car seemed to suddenly suffocate him, no longer breathable for Sehun. Clearing his throat, he slowed down the car until it came to a stop. If they were going to have this conversation, he wasn’t going to half-ass it.

"Jongin-" He started, applying the handbrake as he turned towards him. Jongin was no longer staring out of the window but rather forced himself to meet Sehun’s eyes.

"No, listen to me for a moment. This is important.” Determination laced his words. “If I die, no matter if it's because of this or something else, I won't be myself anymore. I won't be Jongin. I'll be a mindless shell of myself with the only desire to kill. And that's why you'll have to shoot me if that happens. You know the drill."

"It won't-" Once again, Sehun started but Jongin couldn’t him off.

"You keep saying that but how do we know that? How do we know that it's not going to happen that way? The chances that there's an antiserum are low. And the chances of us acquiring it? Minimal." His voice broke. "I need you to promise me that once I turn, you will shoot me. Promise me, Sehun. Because the thought of possibly hurting you is- I can't stand it. It hurts even more than the thought of losing you."

This time it was Sehun who had to swallow down the tears. "Jongin, I can't-"

With an annoyed groan, Jongin grabbed Sehun by the shoulders, his eyes boring into him. There was a kind of urgency in his voice that Sehun had never heard before and it sent shivers down his spine. "Yes, you can! You have to. Promise it to me, Sehun."

"I promise." He whispered, knowing well that maybe sooner than later, he’d have to break that promise.

 

🕙 🕙 🕙

 

_“Hey Sehun.” Jongin’s eyes were trained on Sehun’s back._

_Said man was currently kneeling on the ground of the upper floor in the lighthouse. Ever since they had arrived, Sehun had taken up the task to attempt to fix all the instruments and make them work by connecting the electricity from the generator. Jongin didn’t have much experience with crafting and all these kinds of things, so he preferred to just watch and learn from him._

_“Hm?” Sehun hummed, his voice muffled from where he was halfway underneath the desk-like table._

_“Promise me to never part from me again, yes?” Jongin hadn’t meant for his voice to come out so vulnerable._

_In front of him, Sehun scooted back until he could lift up his head without hitting it on the table, a speck of dust clinging to his pitch-black hair._

_“I promise, Jongin.” He smiled, and there was no doubt in his words._

🕥 🕥 🕥

The first half an hour after their conversation had been quiet. Without any further incidents, they reached the highway that brought them back on the right track to Seoul. Charging up on gas by stealing it from one of the abandoned cars on the way went off without a hitch too, and soon enough, Sehun and Jongin began to recognize their surroundings again.

By the time they’d left the highway and had reached the rather suburban areas of Seoul, Sehun realized that he’d naturally taken the exit to his parent’s former neighbourhood.

Familiar buildings lined the streets as Sehun steered them through the suburb that he used to call home. However, the several plants that had died from the heat without any watering and the lifeless streets made the blocks almost seem foreign to him even though he’d walked them a million times before.

They parked the car in a parking lot of a supermarket. During the two-hour ride, Jongin and him had decided to abandon the car once they’d reached the city. A vehicle attracted too much unwanted attention. While it was beneficial for avoiding zombies, it almost invited human groups to follow them. More than once Sehun had witnessed car chases, especially in the first months after Day Zero. Until this day, he couldn’t quite grasp the meaning behind them but then again, he didn’t feel too terrible about not understanding the sick minds of the twisted souls that could still call themselves human even though the only thing that made them differ from the zombies was their heartbeat.

Therefore, as long as Jongin could still walk, they had decided to hike the last few kilometres to the military base. The thing was, the two only had a rough idea of where it was. They didn’t know the exact way to get there but when they got close enough, Sehun was certain that they would just be able to follow the street signs. On his mental map, there were about 15 kilometres they’d have to walk. It wasn’t impossibly much, but with Jongin already feeling weaker, it wasn’t going to be easy either.

The first kilometre was easy. The weight of their backpacks was still bearable, both of them sure this time that they had everything packed. Sehun could feel the shape of his phone in the pocket of his jeans, and even though the battery was dead, he felt relieved that it was there.

He almost didn’t notice it when they walked into the street where he used to live as a child. Only when they had passed the first few houses, Sehun became fully aware of where he’d led them. He wasn’t entirely sure if it had been his subconscious that made him chose this route, but when he spotted his family home in the distance, he teared up.

“That’s my old home.”

They’d reached the white building, the door standing open. The driveway was empty, making Sehun wonder if his family had made it somewhere safe.

“Do you want to go inside?” Jongin asked as he reached out for Sehun’s hand to lace their fingers together. The touch felt familiar, reassuring.

For a second, Sehun hesitated. “No…” He shook his head. “I don’t want to ruin the memories I have of it by looking at it now. It’s only the shell of what it used to be, I'd rather remember it when it was still… home.”

 

🕛 🕛 🕛

 

_“Honey, dinner is ready.” The voice of his mother rang through the backyard. Sehun almost didn’t hear it, too caught up in the wrestling game with his brother that he was losing._

_“Mom called.”, Seunghun, Sehun’s older brother chuckled. Letting his little brother out of the headlock he’d been holding him, the fourteen-year-old had a certain advantage compared to his eleven-year-old little brother, Seunghun took a step back and brushed the dirt off his clothes._

_“Next time I’ll win for sure.” Sehun was pouting, brushing the long strands of hair out of his face. Earlier that day, his mother had moaned about his hair growing too long and promptly made an appointment at the hairdresser for him._

_The smell of their mother’s cooking, the familiar spices of Korean cuisine, filled their nostrils as they made their way into the dining room. The table was set already and Sehun couldn’t wait to pick up the chopsticks when he realized that his mother had made one of his favourite dishes._

_To Sehun’s right sat his father, a tall man with a gentle smile. He’d come home from work just half an hour ago, kissing his wife on her cheek like every time after she’d placed the steaming hot dishes that she’d prepared in front of them._

_It was a normal evening for the Oh family, but as they chatted and laughed together as they ate the delicious food Sehun’s mom had cooked for them, Sehun realized that maybe normal wasn’t so bad at all._

🕧 🕧 🕧

The mall of the district Sehun used to live in was an ugly building. The scalding sun hadn’t done the concrete any good and several cracks littered the street leading towards it. Several of the large, tinted windows were cracked, shards of glass and speckles of greens littering the ground surrounding the mall.

Sehun had been there a hundred times, but never before had the building looked so intimidating. Shopping with his family had always been an exhausting matter, at least for his parents, but nothing could rival the exhaustion he felt when they stepped through the glass gates that had long stopped opening and closing on their own.

As they’d walked through Sehun’s neighbourhood, the two had decided that it would be best to pick up a map of Seoul. Knowing that the large mall was technically on their way, Sehun had led them to the building that loomed over all the other ones in the neighbourhood. He’d always thought that it had looked out of place, such a large structure in an almost rural suburb, but now he was grateful for its existence.

If he remembered correctly, there was a bookstore inside. While Sehun had never been the type to read much, he’d more often than not hurried to the shop for a last-minute gift for his mother on mother's day or her birthday.

A map of Seoul would give them a more tangible outlook on where they were headed. They’d both agreed that they could spare the ten minutes of detour to pick it up at the mall. After Day Zero, there certainly hadn’t been that many demands of a tourist guide of Seoul so finding one in the bookstore didn’t sound too difficult.

Inside the mall, it was eerily quiet. The temperature was a lot lower than outside which they were thankful for. Jongin already looked worn out and Sehun had almost considered stopping and grabbing a car again but when he’d brought it up, Jongin had just shaken his head and urged Sehun on to continue walking.

“Do you need a nice pair of jeans?” Jongin pointed at one of the shops to their left, the mannequins still clad in fashionable outfits that only looked good on plastique figurines.

“Nah, I think I’m good. I feel quite comfortable in this pair, the many rips and stitches have a special spot in my heart.” In fact, Sehun had always imagined a post-apocalyptic fashion to be optimized to the degree that it could fit weapons, be zombie proof and fashionable at the same time. In reality, here he was sporting jeans and a ragged T-shirt just like everyone else he’d encountered in the past few months.

“The book shop is over there. It’s in a corner of the mall, pretty tiny. I think it was the only shop that didn’t belong to a large chain but was privatized.” He pointed at an invisible spot ahead of them.

“Okay, cool.” Jongin adjusted the weight of his backpack and sent the mannequins another last glance.

 

Just as Sehun had remembered, the tiny store was still there in the corner of the mall. Surprisingly, it was almost untouched as if time had just stood still in this part of the large building, preserving all the books filled with fiction and facts until better times would come again. The only indicator that something was off was the shattered door, allowing the two entrance into the little store.

The travelling section could be found at the back of the store. While Sehun searched through the rows of tour guides for an exemplar with a large map, Jongin scanned the offers for international travel. He skimmed through a guide for Europe, currently glancing at a picture of the Brandenburger Tor.

Just when Sehun was about to speak up that he’d found a suitable guide with the base marked in it, a crack broke through the silence behind them.

In the span of a millisecond, the two turned around, the two spots of their flashlights scanning the shop.

A low groan could be heard, somewhere in front of them to the right. Sehun squinted into the darkness, adrenaline already beginning to flood his system when the ray of light of his flashlight hit a familiar face.

And for the second time in less than 48 hours, Sehun’s heart shattered into a million pieces.

 

🕐 🕐 🕐

 

_At the sound of the purring engine coming to life, Sehun felt ecstatic. Just a day earlier, the long summer holidays had begun and now, he and his family were already on the way to Jeju for their annual holiday. Every year, they returned to the same house, the same village, on the beautiful island. While his classmates often talked about their trips abroad, to Japan and China, Taiwan and India, sometimes even Europe or America, Sehun had never felt particularly jealous._

_The two weeks spent on the naturally beautiful Korean island were always the best of his summer holidays, even without getting to spend time with his friends. This time, they were planning to hike a lot, discover sides of the island they hadn’t explored yet, and maybe even make some new friends. There were always children at the beach or in the village that were willing to play with eight-year-old Sehun, and even if there weren’t, there was still his brother._

_In the seat next to him, only separated by a basket filled with snacks and drinks, Seunghun watched the rows of houses rush behind as their father steered the car towards the highway. For his birthday, he’d gotten a discman and now wherever he went, the discman went too._

_Expectedly, a set of earphones was currently securely plugged into his ears, his lips forming voiceless words as Sehun watched his brother hum to one of the songs from the several CDs that now filled his backpack._

_“Hyung.” Sehun reached out, tugging on one of the earbuds that earned him a slightly annoyed glance._

_“Yeah?”_

_“Can I listen with you?”_

🕐 🕐 🕐

The eyes that stared back at Sehun no longer carried any recognition in them, but the resemblance was still uncanny.

Two spots of light were now pointed at the face of Sehun’s brother, no longer the man Sehun used to know but only a shell of his former self. His clothes were torn, the hair partially ripped out. The milky colour of his eyes brought tears to Sehun’s eyes and the sound that left the zombies lips wasn’t more than a groan, but it touched something deep within him.

With heavy steps, the figure came closer. It no longer moved with the confident stride of a man that knew of his handsome looks, his intelligence and his magnificent social abilities. Nothing about this except for his mortal shell resembled anything that could be connected to his brother, but still, Sehun had turned into stone. Where his heart had been beating, there was nothing but an empty space, an abyss that threatened to suck him in.

Even though his arm was growing heavy, he didn’t lower it, the light of the torch still firmly planted on his brother’s features.

Next to him, Jongin cursed. “Sehun, you have more ammo than I do. Shoot him.” He hissed, already reaching for the rifle that hung over his shoulder.

But Sehun didn’t move, didn’t say anything. He only stood there, staring at the man that used he used to play with, that he used to argue with, that he used to sometimes hate but then again loved so dearly. Already while turning, his hand had reached for the gun, loaded and ready to shoot. But now his arm was hanging at his side, limp and unmoving as if an invisible power had cut off his circulation, disabling him to lift it only an inch.

He opened his mouth but the words that formed in his mind didn’t come out. He was stuck, somewhere between the past and the present, when everything he’d been hoping for had been a future that didn’t look like this.

“Sehun. Should I do it? Are you alright? He’s coming closer-“ Jongin said, his hand closing around the rifle already.

His brother, or what he used to be, had come closer now, only a few more metres separating them. It felt like someone had stuffed a wad of cotton into Sehun’s mouth, the word that used to be so familiar tasting foreign.

“Hyung.”

 

🕐 🕐 🕐

 

_“Don’t cry, Sehun. It’s okay, no one will care.”_

_The hushed words washed over him, but the younger man’s sobbing didn’t stop. He hadn’t meant for any of this to happen, he’d never meant for anyone to find out. But then his brother had walked into the club, had seen him and the other man, kissing and dancing oh so close that the excuse of ‘we’re just close friends’ was just a mere joke they both didn’t believe in anymore._

_“Mom and dad will care. And if they don’t, grandma and grandpa will.” Sehun’s face was pressed against his brother’s shoulder, his tears soaking through the fabric of his dress shirt. The air of the night outside the club was cold, but nothing could compare to the iciness that Sehun felt when he thought of the disappointment in his parent’s eyes._

_“I don’t think they’ll care, Sehun.” Seunghun hummed, his palm rubbing over his younger brother’s back soothingly. “They love you, Sehun. No matter who you love. Even if it’s not a woman but a man, they’ll still love you. Cause that’s how love works, doesn’t it? It doesn’t differentiate between gender, age or nationality, skin colour or likes and dislikes. Love is love, and if I know one thing for sure, it’s that we’ll always love you, no matter who you bring home for dinner one day.”_

🕐 🕐 🕐

“What did you say?” Beside him, Jongin suddenly sounded uncertain.

The single word Sehun had breathed out had cut through the air and had made Jongin stop in his movement to position the rifle.

“Hyung.” Sehun murmured again, the word merely anything but a whisper. “That’s my… brother.”

In front of them, Seunghun, or what was left of him, took another step towards them. Not much more and he would have reached them.

“Sehun’s he’s not-“ Jongin started, the rifle now pointed at the zombie approaching them. Sehun was still firmly rooted to the spot and not a word that Jongin said seemed to reach him.

“Hyung-“

 

🕜 🕜 🕜

 

_“The groom may kiss the bride.”_

_The music of a choir filled the church, all the benches filled up to the last spot. Cousins they hadn’t seen in ages, aunts that they only ever heard about when their grandma and mother gossiped and that one uncle that they all thought was a little off. Everyone was there._

_The crowd cheered when the groom and the bride kissed, and Sehun caught himself wiping at his eyes, a few tears spilling no matter how hard he tried to stay cool. It was like the day when his brother had asked him to be his best man and Sehun had broken out into tears. He’d expected him to ask his best friend, not him, but Seunghun had wanted him to do it. Of course, Sehun had agreed, and here he was, brushing away the tears out of the corner of his eyes to pull his brother into a tight hug, almost not wanting to let go. When they parted, they were both smiling so brightly, and Sehun was sure that he’d never seen his brother look so happy._

_“Congratulations, hyung.” He’d grinned and they’d both hugged again before the mass of people walking towards them consumed them._

_Later, at the after party, when all of them already had had too much wine and champagne, his brother pulled him aside. “Thank you, Sehun. For everything, you know?”_

_And Sehun had just smiled and brushed it off, inviting his brother to have another glass of his special soju mix with lemons with him. But Seunghun had stayed serious, more serious than Sehun had expected and for a second he wondered if something was wrong. But when he heard his brother’s next words, he already felt like crying again, and not even in the bad sense._

_“We’re trying to have a baby, Sehun. And when we have one, I want you to be the godfather. Cause I couldn’t imagine anybody that I’d rather want to be the godfather of my child other than you.”_

🕜 🕜 🕜

The shell of his brother’s former self was only slightly more than an arms-length away. Automatically, Sehun took a step until his back hit the shelf, a Seoul city guide only narrowly missing his head as it fell out of the shelf at the impact.

Next to him, Jongin’s fingers were shaking. His mind was racing. Would Sehun hate him if he shot his brother? He had to- Jongin needed to.

His finger on the trigger trembled, only a second and the zombie would sink his teeth into Sehun.

Only a second, and Jongin would lose what was most important to him in the world.

 

🕜 🕜 🕜

 

_“Can I listen with you?” Sehun repeated the question when his brother didn’t respond immediately. The sound of a song that Sehun vaguely remembered hearing somewhere before reached his ears, his brother’s headphones turned up to an unhealthy volume._

_Uncertainty crossed Seunghun’s features for a second, but then he shrugged. “Yeah, okay.”_

_A bright smile spread on Sehun’s lips and he reached for the earphone that Seunghun held out for him, feeling giddy at the prospect of listening to the music his cool older brother liked._

🕜 🕜 🕜

The sound of a gunshot resonated through the room, and then silence fell upon them.

 

🕜 🕜 🕜

_Putting the earplug into his ear, Sehun leaned closer to his brother to avoid straining the cable._

_“You’re the best brother in the world, hyung.” He beamed at Seunghun._

_The only response before his older brother stared out of the window again was a noncommittal shrug._

_Sehun didn’t even see the small, satisfied smile on his brother’s lips._

🕜 🕜 🕜

 

Jongin’s heavy breathing filled the air, his hand shaking. His finger was still on the trigger, but he hadn’t been the one who’d pulled it. Next to him, Sehun had sunk to the floor, staring at the lifeless body that had once been his brother. Dark blood, dirty and inhuman, trickled from a hole in his head.

 

“Bitch, what the fuck?”

An unfamiliar voice suddenly boomed through the abandoned bookshop. There, at the end of the room where the light of the sun came through the burst door at the entrance of the store, stood three men. One was holding a gun, still point at them.

On the floor beside him, a sudden sob wracked through Sehun’s body and Jongin was about to pull him into a hug when the man spoke up again.

“Don’t move. What did you dumbasses think? Were you really just about to let that zombie fucking bite a huge chunk out of you like you were some kind of lunch buffet?” A self-appreciative laughter filled the air. “But for real, what were you thinking?”

The three figures started coming towards them and once again, Jongin felt torn. On one hand, he wanted to comfort Sehun, on the other the man had just told him to not move. In the end, he dared to inch closer to Sehun, sinking to the ground with his arms held high.

“We don’t mean any harm.” He called out. His whole body felt sweaty and only now he realized that he’d soaked through his shirt, a large spot of sweat gathering at the small of his back. Now that he wasn’t standing anymore, Jongin felt faint.

To his right, Sehun was still muffling his sobs into his arms. Jongin could no longer stand seeing his boyfriend like a picture of misery so he forwent all the security measures and reached out for him, pulling Sehun into his arms.

The response was immediate. While Sehun only started crying harder, the stranger belted out a loud “Hey! I said don’t move.”

“That was his fucking brother, okay?” Jongin yelled back, his temples feeling like someone was hammering against them in rapid succession. Everything was too loud and too silent at the same time, the shivering body of Sehun way too warm for his overheated body to handle but he didn’t let go either way.

“Holy shit.” One of the guys, the tallest one, breathed out. The voice only faintly reached Jongin, but it was weirdly familiar. Only when they had come several metres closer, he realized why.

"Chanyeol?" Jongin was staring at the tall man, eyes wide in shock.

"Jongin?"

"Baekhyun?" The small guy, probably Baekhyun, rolled his eyes and stared at his tall friend and then Jongin. "No but for real, what kind of K-Drama is this?"

"Shut up for a second, would you?" Chanyeol huffed, stepping closer to get a better look at Jongin. When he realized that it was indeed him, a large smile broke out on his face and he rushed forward, pulling him into a crushing hug. Jongin was still holding onto Sehun so it was more of a three-way hug with a considerably large rifle squished between them, but nonetheless he felt tears burning in his eyes.

"Chanyeol? Is that really you?" He mumbled when Chanyeol had pulled back. They were both staring at each other, disbelief plastered over their features. Next to him, Sehun had wiped his eyes and watched them, not sure what exactly was going on.

"Fuck, Jongin- I can't believe-“ Chanyeol started but then shook his head, still in denial. "What the fuck were you doing? That zombie almost fucking bit you. Why didn't you shoot?" He asked, genuine confusion now clouding his eyes.

"It's not that easy-" Jongin attempted to elaborate but then got cut off.

"He was my brother." With puffy, narrowed eyes, Sehun was staring at Chanyeol, still not sure how to interpret the situation. He couldn’t look at the dead body in front of them, the thought making him feel like bursting into tears once again. But with strangers around, he needed to get a grip because even now, he couldn’t say if they meant trouble or not.

"Fuck." The guy Jongin had been talking to, Chanyeol apparently, let out a breath.

Sehun only huffed, his bottom lip trembling as he responded. "Yeah, fuck."

"Hey dude, are you okay?" The third guy of the group asked. He hadn’t said much yet, staying in the background compared to the boisterous shooter and Jongin’s apparent friend.

"Do I look like I'm okay?" It hadn’t been Sehun’s intention to sound rude and the words had sounded a lot less harsh in his head.

Immediately, the guy tried to come up with a way to soothe him. "Not really, but-" he started but broke off when Sehun just shook his head.

"Well, that's because I'm not." Standing up, he patted the dust off his clothes. There was no doubt he looked like a mess, but at least he didn’t want to be looked down on any longer. When he saw the genuinely sorry expression on the guys face, Sehun felt a little sorry. "But…  thank you. For doing it. That way- we didn't have to do it."

He didn’t have to specify what he was talking about because they all knew that he was talking about the dead corpse of his brother just a meter away from them.

"It's okay, we didn't know that..." Chanyeol started but Sehun only smiled. It wasn’t a happy one.

"Obviously you didn't."

Awkward silence filled the bookstore for a moment and no one knew what to say. Nobody even dared to look into the direction of the dead body on the ground.

Eventually, Chanyeol cleared his throat. "I can't believe it's you, Jongin."

Happy to change the topic for at least a second, even though Jongin felt like a dick about, he beamed at Chanyeol.

"Fuck, Chanyeol. How long has it been? I missed you. I thought about you and the others a lot."

Park Chanyeol had been one of Jongin’s friends during high school. They’d walked to school together almost every single day, had shared most classes and as some of their friend had said, apparently also their last two brain cells. After graduation, both of them had ended up at the same university but due to different majors, they by no means had seen each other as often as they used to. While Jongin had gone for a dance major, Chanyeol had decided to turn his passion for music into a career and had applied for a music engineering major. Even though they didn’t share any classes any longer, they still regularly met up due to their shared friend group.

Never in his life, Jongin would have expected to see Chanyeol again though. Only now, the reality of meeting his old friend was slowly starting to sink in after the initial shock of what had just happened was beginning to ebb away, leaving space for new information to take in.

Before he could ask Chanyeol how he’d been, how he’d managed to survive and most importantly, if there were more of their friends somewhere, the guy that had shot Seunghun spoke up again.

"Care to introduce yourself maybe?"  The guy asked, squinting at Jongin suspiciously. Just like Sehun, he didn’t know how to interpret their relationship just yet. When nobody responded right away, he rolled his eyes and grinned. "Oh sorry, where are my manners? I'm Baekhyun, Byun Baekhyun to be precise."

Next to him, the third of the small group only provided a short "Jongdae.", otherwise staying quiet. Jongin felt like he wasn’t really listening, more focused on keeping an eye on the door and the happenings in the mall. He couldn’t really blame him and secretly, he was quite thankful. They certainly didn’t need any more surprise guests.

The booming voice of Chanyeol introducing himself with "I'm Chanyeol. But you know that. Jongin, is that one of your friends?" was a huge contrast but somehow, Jongin got the feeling that the Jongdae guy was only distracted and not generally that quite either. From experience, he knew that Chanyeol was a loud person and usually, only equally loud people could bear to be around for a long time period.

Sending a glance at Sehun, he realized that the other wasn’t listening. His eyes were drawn to the corpse of his brother, new tears streaming down his face. Protectively, Jongin wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer.

"Sehun is my boyfriend." He elaborated when he caught the stares of the others.

"Well, as much as I hate to say it, your boyfriend isn't looking that great right now. Actually, you also don't. Do you have a fever or-"

A sudden noise interrupted Chanyeol, and they all looked up.

Jongdae, who’d been keeping an eye on the door cursed on under his breath. “Fuck. I think we have some visitors.”

It took them a moment to understand what he was getting at but when they heard the sound of footsteps and some very familiar groaning, they all knew what he was talking about.

"The gunshot probably attracted a shitload of these fuckers. Can you guys run?" Jongdae pulled loaded the gun he’d been holding the whole time. "We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

 

🕑 🕑 🕑

 

_“If there was one thing you could have right now that you used to have before Day Zero, what would it be?”_

_A soft breeze brushed over the two men that were sitting outside the lighthouse, taking a break from their attempt at setting up a flowerbed. They both had no experience with plants – “The only plant I used to have was a plastic one, and I managed to make it melt by accidentally placing a candle too close to it.” To quote Sehun on their abilities to keep plants alive._

_However, the prospect of fresh vegetables had sounded too convincing to not at least give it a try. So, here they were, trying to plant some seeds they’d found in the grocery store in the village nearby._

_“I have you already, that’s all I need.” Jongin was sipping on a can of beer, clad only in a tight white shirt and some jeans that had already seen better days. Still, Sehun thought that his boyfriend looked insanely hot right then._

_“You’re a liar.” He laughed, nudging Jongin’s side. Although he loved the cheesiness, he wanted to hear a genuine response. “But for reasons, I wanna know, Jongin.”_

_“So, you mean anything anything? Literally anything?” The man next to him hummed. There was some mud on his shirt but Sehun thought that Jongin looked like he’d fallen right out of the pages of a fashion magazine._

_“Yeah, I mean anything.” He hummed, wetting his lips as he watched Jongin’s lips form a pout as he thought about the question._

_In the end, Sehun knew he shouldn’t have been surprised about Jongin’s answer. He’d asked the question in a light-hearted way, thinking about bubble tea and chocolate, a nice burger or some really good kimchi._

_But Jongin never thought in such a simple way._

_“If there was one thing I could have right now that I used to have before day Zero, it would be my family and friends. I count them as one, because when it came down to it, my friends were my family too. So yeah, if I could have something from before all this happened, it’d be them.”_

🕑 🕑 🕑

It had been a while since Sehun had seen such a large amount of the undead in one spot. Since Jongin and him had avoided cities for the longest time possible, they had only encountered a few occasionally, most of the time managing to escape from a meeting before the walking corpses realized they were even there.

This time, however, that seemed highly unlikely.

Together with the other three, they’d left the shop only to be greeted by around twenty to thirty zombies, Sehun had always been bad at guessing. Upon seeing them, he’d wondered how the hell they hadn’t heard them approaching before but then again, he was still in shock if he was being true to himself.

“To the left.” Baekhyun suddenly commanded, his voice piercing through the air. Without thinking, Sehun followed the instruction, turning to his left where he spotted an emergency exit. Not glancing back at the zombies, he followed Baekhyun, only stopping to run when the safety door fell shut behind them, leaving them in an empty corridor.

When he turned around, Jongin wasn’t there anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the exos showed up + Sehun family drama = my kind of chapter.  
> Also, what's even more important - where's Jongin? Do you guys have any guesses?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't watched the teaser video yet, here's the [link](https://youtu.be/xfzg0uD4uCs) to it. Also, you can find the matching playlist to this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/n1xn950yyu6ho5knsilmleeam/playlist/15TErgjUZtwfiRvNgCGuQf?si=8XhL_R1-R9-J9Y0d3d_Efg).

_The sounds of the crashing waves filled their ears, even overpowering the sound of the generator downstairs._

_“Promise me to never part from me again, yes?” Jongin hadn’t meant for his voice to come out so vulnerable._

_In front of him, Sehun scooted back until he could lift up his head without hitting it on the table, a speck of dust clinging to his pitch-black hair._

_“I promise, Jongin.” He smiled, and there was no doubt in his words._

_A seagull flew past the window, both of them flinching at the sudden movement. When they both realized how much of a scaredy-cat they sometimes were, Sehun giggled and Jongin broke out into a smile too._

_“You know, that means you’ll have to stay with me forever, right?” Sehun teased._

_“Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad to me.”_

_At Jongin’s words, Sehun got onto his feet and walked the few steps to close the distance between them. Firmly planting himself on the other’s lap, he wrapped his hands around him, electric generators and detection devices long forgotten._

_“Hey Jongin.” He whispered, their lips only a few centimetres apart. “Promise me too. That you’ll never leave me.”_

_Their lips brushed with every word, and Sehun wondered if their heartbeats aligned as easily too._

_“I promise, Sehun.”_

🕒 🕒 🕒

 

“Where the fuck is Jongin?” A scream ripped from Sehun’s throat, shriller and more high-pitched than he’d expected. Tugging on the security doors, Sehun realized that they wouldn’t open. With a loud yell, he hammered against the heavy metal doors, begging them to budge but to no avail. New tears began to burn in his eyes and he wondered how many more he could spill.

“Sehun! Relax! He’s with Chanyeol!” Baekhyun seemed spooked by his outburst. He’d stepped a little closer but still kept a safe distance between them, not sure what Sehun would do next. He couldn’t blame him.

“What the fuck do you mean I should relax?” Sehun’s words resonated in the long corridor. All the sounds from within the actual shopping centre were blocked out and Sehun was going crazy.

Jongin was still in there, Jongin apparently hadn’t been able to follow him here, and for some reason, Baekhyun still told him to still fucking stay calm?

“It’s what we always do! Whenever we encounter zombies, we split up. That way it’s harder for them to follow. And now don’t fucking stay there and hammer against the door, it’ll only take them so long until they figure out how to open the fucking door.”

Splitting up. A concept Sehun and Jongin had only done once, and it hadn’t gone particularly well.

Right then, Sehun knew that he had to trust Baekhyun. He couldn’t go back, so the only way was forward.

If Baekhyun was right, Chanyeol and Jongdae were going to lead Jongin out of there on a different route.

“I swear on my fucking life, it’s our arrangement whenever stuff like this happens. We know this building like the insides of our pockets.” A loud banging noise against the door interrupted Baekhyun’s words. “And now, you can either stay here and wait until those fucking zombies get to you, or you can do what I’m going to do now – run!”

 

🕒 🕒 🕒

 

_It was spring, and the flowers had just begun to bloom. They’d taken a long walk along the beach earlier, feeling safe there. From the shore, the sight was clear for miles. If someone were to approach them, they’d notice immediately._

_The breeze had been fresh, but the sun was already shining brightly. Somehow, Sehun could already feel in his bones that it was going to be a hot, hot summer._

_They’d come back from the beach, stripping themselves from their clothes and the hundreds of grains of sand that they’d carried with him._

_As he fell into bed, Jongin beneath him, Sehun thought of the flowers again, and even though they’d been pretty, Jongin was the most beautiful to him._

🕕 🕕 🕕

28 hours. More than half of the time they’d had was already gone. 58.33%, to be precise.

They were so close, but yet, the military base seemed so far.

In front of Sehun, Baekhyun was leading him through abandoned buildings with an ease that he’d never possessed. Maybe it would have come when he’d stayed in the city longer. Maybe this was Baekhyun’s home.

He wished he still had a charged phone. He’d had to ask Baekhyun for the time, thankfully he’d been wearing a watch.

Without an eye on the clock, Sehun felt even less powerful than he already had. It was like the last bit of control had been taking away from them but now that he knew how much time they had left, they were back on the track.

 

🕕 🕕 🕕

 

_University was a rollercoaster of emotions. The first few weeks of a semester always tended to be blast. Parties, no deadlines and a hell of a lot of time in-between classes that could be spent with friends at nearby cafés and restaurants._

_The end of the semester though – Jongin wanted to throw up at the thought of it. Currently, he was holed up in the library with Chanyeol and Taemin – the latter had been one of his closest friends ever since he could remember – and it didn’t matter that all of them were working on entirely different assignments because currently, the only thing that any of them could focus on was the hot guy that had been hired as an assistant for the librarians. Their job was to help sort through the books and put them back into shelves. It wasn’t anything special, but it paid and was a good part-time job for broke students. One time, Jongin had even considered applying for a spot himself._

_“Dude. That ass.” Chanyeol had pushed up the glasses on his nose. It was obvious that he thought he was being inconspicuous, but the exact opposite was the case. While Chanyeol was freely ogling the new librarian, Taemin and Jongin at least attempted to be a little more subtle._

_“You’re almost drooling. It’s starting to get gross.” Jongin tried to suppress his giggles. The death stares the trio had already received for being too loud were countless, but even after the hundredth time, the daggers in his fellow students’ eyes were enough to make him feel guilty._

_“That’s because that guy is a snack.” Chanyeol reasoned._

_“Go ask for his number then.” Taemin suggested, knowing very well that Chanyeol would do anything rather than asking that guy for his number._

_To their surprise, however, Chanyeol actually stood up. “You know what? I’m gonna do that.”_

_About to start hooting, Taemin and Jongin remembered just in time that they were in fact in a library and therefore resorted to pumping their fists just slightly to mimic cheering him on. Taemin even sent him a wink and a thumbs up._

_With the face the colour of a tomato, Chanyeol made his way over to the guy._

_Unaware of his luck, the librarian assistant was busy pushing books into the shelve when Chanyeol approached him._

_Tip-toeing, the guy, probably about 10 centimetres shorter than Chanyeol, struggled to reach the top shelf._

_With open mouths, Taemin and Jongin watched as Chanyeol wordlessly reached out and put the book into the slot, a winning smile on his face as he turned around to face the guy who was now completely hidden by Chanyeol’s broad back._

_From this angle, it was impossible to see anything so Jongin and Taemin had to wait a tense span of  45 seconds until Chanyeol turned around on the spot._

_The expression on his face when he slid back into his seat was unreadable._

_“What did he say?” “Did you get his number?” Both Jongin and Taemin talked at the same time._

_In front of them, the assistant had returned to his task of sorting in the books._

_“Well…” Chanyeol mumbled, his cheeks still unnaturally blushed. “He said, and I quote “Tall guys who think I need their help to put some fucking books into a shelf aren’t exactly my type. Thanks for trying though”.”_

_This time, Jongin and Taemin couldn’t suppress their laughter and it was a miracle that they didn’t get kicked out of the library._

 

🕡 🕡 🕡

 

The hideout wasn’t anything special. The moment, he stepped into the building, Sehun couldn’t help but compare it to the comfort of their lighthouse. There were no sounds of waves lulling them into sleep and no cute but slightly outdated curtains with a daisy pattern. Instead, the place looked functional.

Everything that Sehun could spot was simply _functional_. No décor, no wasted space, no unnecessary objects. There were three mattresses pulled into the room that also had a small kitchen area. Flower pots littered the ground beneath a window, growing all sorts of plants that Sehun later identified as vegetables, and a large table in the middle of the room.

At said table, Baekhyun and him had settled shortly after they’d entered the place. They’d quickly realized that they must have arrived before the others and as much as Sehun had hoped that Jongin would be waiting for him at their hideout already, he couldn’t say he was surprised. By how slow they’d been walking earlier so that Jongin didn’t have too much of a strain on himself, it would take the other group a lot longer than him and Baekhyun. They’d covered most of the distance while jogging, only slowing down whenever they thought they might run into some unexpected or unwanted company.

"So your friend got bitten, huh?"

Two glasses of water stood on the table between them. It was Sehun’s third glass already, and it was halfway empty again.

"He's not my friend, he's my boyfriend." For some reason, he felt very adamant on making that clear.

"Wow, calm down, sweetie." With a snort, Baekhyun leaned back and examined him. He wondered what he looked like. His eyes still felt irritated from crying earlier and his hair was probably a mess. He should’ve just shaved it off like he’d been planning to just days before all of this had happened but Jongin had insisted that it felt so nice to run his fingers through it, so he’d left it that way.

"How could I calm down when I'm here and I have no clue where Jongin is?"

"He's with Chanyeol and Jongdae. He'll be fine, I promise."

Sehun let out a dry laughter. "How am I even supposed to trust you?"

At that, Baekhyun leaned forward in his chair, placing his arms on the table.

"Well first of all, we could have shot you like 5 times before either of you two would have even pointed your guns at us. So, if we wanted you dead, you'd already be dead. Make sense?" The words didn’t leave any room for arguments, so Sehun didn’t even try.

"I guess so." He shrugged, his eyes wandering to the door again as if he expected it to be pushed open any second. "Either way, we can't waste time. Jongin and I need to get to the base..."

"What base?" That seemed to have caught Baekhyun’s attention. Straightening up, the other set down the water glass he’d just picked up, his eyes boring into Sehun’s.

"The military base. Because he got bitten, you know… It’s been quite some time already.." The words felt heavy on his tongue.

The moment they’d left him, he knew he should have informed Baekhyun about this a little more carefully.

"How many hours has it been?"

"29, 30? I don’t know what time it is." The thought pained him.

"Fuck. He's only got like 18 left then. What are you gonna do about it? Do you think you'll be able to shoot him, I mean the situation with your brother clearly showed-"

For a second, Sehun thought he couldn’t resist the urge to stand up and slap him. He did not want to talk about his brother in such a way, nor did he even want to consider having to shoot Jongin because he knew even though he’d promised him, he wasn’t sure if he could ever push through with it.

"There'll be no need to shoot him." He said firmly, fingers tapping against the surface of the table.

_1.2. 3. 1. 2. 3._

_Calm down, Sehun._

_1\. 2. 3_. Just like the seconds that ran by, leaving him with less and less time.

"And that's because...?" Baekhyun was still watching him. It was evident that he didn’t feel to happy about the fact that the infected Jongin was currently somewhere in this city with his friends.

"Because at the military base, there might be an antiserum. If it's consumed within 48 hours, the infection can be stopped from killing him and making the zombie virus break out."

Sehun wouldn’t have blamed Baekhyun if he’d laughed at him. That’s why his genuinely shocked expression didn’t startle him at all.

"There's an... Antiserum?"

Sehun nodded.

In front of him, Baekhyun laughed and shook his head but then slid back into his seat, reaching for the glass of water and downing it in one go. By the time he put it down again, he didn’t look any less overwhelmed. "You're fucking with me. If there was one, why does nobody know about it? Why do you know about it?"

 

It took Sehun a while to tell Baekhyun the story of how he’d learned about Project EXO-L. When he’d reached the part about the experiment having succeeded, or at least not failed, Sehun switched over to how they had decided to search for the facility when Jongin got bitten.

At the end of his story-telling, Baekhyun only shook his head.

"That's insane."

"Maybe it's insane, but it's not impossible."

Getting up to refill, their glasses again, Baekhyun returned with a package of crackers. Just in time, Sehun’s stomach let out a loud growl.

"So you really believe in it? That there's an antiserum? EXO-L or whatever it's called?" Baekhyun asked as he tore open the package, offering it to Sehun before he took out a few for himself.

"If I didn't believe in it, what would be my reason to do any of this? And quite honestly, I'd rather hope and search for a way to save Jongin than give him up because it seems hopeless. He's my everything. If I lose him, I- let's just say, I'll find this antiserum. If there is one, I'll find it."

A few crumbs were stuck to the corner of Baekhyun’s mouth. Sehun watched them fall off as the other spoke.

"And you're hoping to find it at the base?"

"Yes."

"I can't say I wouldn't do the same. If Jongdae got bitten... Or Chanyeol... I'd do it too. For them, I mean."

A short silence stretched between them as Sehun searched for the right words to say.

"You see... It's not that hard to understand. In a world like this, you learn to hang onto the people that mean something to you. You work out the shit that you go through cause there's no social media anymore, no soft blocking or ghosting. We only have each other, so I better go and try to fix it." The lump in his throat was back, and this time it felt even harder to swallow down. "Can you now understand why I'm so fucking anxious?"

Baekhyun just nodded, toying with the packaging of the crackers until one of them broke. Quickly taking it out of the container, he pushed the rest towards Sehun.

"Here, have some more." He nudged the crackers even closer when Sehun didn’t immediately take them. "He'll be back. With Yeol and Dae. They're probably just taking a detour to shake off the zombies. Also if it's been .... hours already, your boyfriend will be quite feverish by now. Now that I think about it, he did look a little sweaty at the bookstore."

A little sweaty was the understatement of the century. Of course Sehun had noticed how wet Jongin’s shirt had felt, even through a mental breakdown.

"He's acting like he's not affected by it, but I know that every hundred metres, it gets harder for him to walk."

"He's got two skilled fighters with him. Yeol was a total dumbass when it came to guns when I met him but after some training, he's really become quite the expert. Dae handles them like an extension of his right hand, so really, even if your boyfriend is slower or feverish, they'll make sure he gets here in one piece. Especially if Yeol knows him. Actually, do you know where they know each other from?"

"Jongin mentioned him to me before, yeah." Sehun hummed. "They went to school together, graduated in the same year. They didn't study at the same faculty within a university but because of their friend group, they still saw each other. But I'm not sure if I'm mixing something up right now." At first, he hadn’t been able to place Chanyeol mostly due to the shock but the moment he’d calmed down a little he could recall more than a few stories from Jongin that included a close friend named Chanyeol.

"Hm... Sounds pretty good though, right? Meeting an old time friend from before this mess?" This time it was Baekhyun that sent a glance at the door.

Following his line of sight, Sehun was once again disappointed to see the door unmoving without a trace of Jongin’s face walking through it. "Depends on the situation I guess. Not when they're a zombie."

That seemed to have hit a nerve.

Baekhyun’s relaxed expression had turned into a genuinely apologetic one in the span of a millisecond.

"Look... I sincerely apologise for shooting your brother. But you know it was necessary, right?" There was an underlying tone of pleading in his words that Sehun couldn’t stand hearing.

"I know, yeah. As I said earlier, I'm grateful that neither Jongin nor I had to do it. I couldn't have done it. And Jongin- he- he'd never have forgiven himself for it. So thank you."

Baekhyun nodded and laughed awkwardly. It was obvious that the situation was uncomfortable for him. "It's cool, man. I'm sorry about your loss."

"I just wish I could have buried him." Sehun had thought this the moment they’d left the store. Leaving behind the body of his brother would be one of the things he knew he’d forever regret. And even though he knew he hadn’t had time, he would beat himself up over it. He just knew it. "In the garden of our house maybe. Next to the flowerbed. He would have liked that I think. I wonder how long he's already-"

At that, Baekhyun cut him off. "Don't think about it. Believe me, its- it's just unnecessary pain."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." He agreed, but that was easier said than done. "You know, it feels nice to talk to someone else. I by no means want to say I get bored of talking to Jongin, cause I really, really don't, but it's nice. It feels good. Natural, even."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't get the people who stay on their own, I'd go-"

Six loud knocks, three in rapid succession and three with longer breaks in-between pulled them out of their thoughts. “That’s our signal.” Baekhyun informed Sehun who had jumped up, already halfway to the door. The fact that he would have just ripped open the door without thinking only reminded him that maybe, the day had been too much for him.

Walking past him, Baekhyun opened the door.

The first thing Sehun saw was Chanyeol, but when his eyes landed on Jongin behind him, a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"Jongin!" The moment the other was close enough, he pulled him into his arms. The actual heat of Jongin scared him, but it just felt good to have him back in his arms, knowing that he was still there.

Next to them, Baekhyun gave Chanyeol and Jongdae a once-over, obviously checking for injuries.

"What took you so long?"

Rubbing his neck, Chanyeol couldn’t help but glance at Jongin. "There were some really stubborn zombies behind us." was what he said though.

"Hey..." The tired voice of his boyfriend reached his ears and immediately, Sehun felt his protective mode kicking in.

"Sit down- you need to drink something. Let me feel your temperature." He muttered and ushered Jongin towards the table where he handed him the rest of the crackers and his glass of water.

"He was bitten." Behind them, Chanyeol informed Baekhyun about what the other had learned already.

"I know, Sehun told me already." The other promptly replied. The group came closer, all of them settling around the table. Jongdae had found two stools so that they could all sit down.

"Do you also know about their plan to find an antiserum?" Chanyeol asked, his eyes flitting over to Jongin. The young man looked completely exhausted, a thin sheen of sweat covering his skin wherever it wasn’t covered by fabric. The look in his eyes was hazy, and Sehun could tell that they all felt sorry for Jongin.

"I'm well informed, Yeol.” Baekhyun explained to the other two. “Sehun here already told me all I needed to know."

Orange light flooded through the blinds. There was only one window in the room and the little light that came in created a pretty mosaique on the linoleum floor.

"I hope you guys know that we'll be coming with you, right?"

Chanyeol’s words pulled Sehun out of his thoughts. The tall man was sitting opposite of him, Jongin between them, and even though the distance was small Sehun wasn’t sure if he’d heard right.

"With us?"

Sharing a glance with Baekhyun and Jongdae, he nodded.

"Look, if there's a safe place with fucking antiserum, we sure as hell won't stay here and wait until a zombie mistakes us for a snack. Also, you look like you could use some help."

 

🕘 🕘 🕘

 

_The saltwater tasted disgusting and there was definitely sand in crevices he’d rather not have sand in, but Sehun couldn’t care less._

_The white fabric was soaked, clinging to his slim body just as another splash of ocean water hit him._

_“What, did you give up already?”_

_The sound of the waves almost drowned out Jongin’s voice and Sehun was about to respond when more water hit him right in the face. Spluttering, he spat out the salty liquid, thrashing through the water to get to Jongin._

_“Wait till I get revenge on you.” He yelled, but there was no malice in his voice._

_Earlier, when Jongin had suggested a water fight in the ocean, he hadn’t thought he could feel as free as he used to as a child anymore. Apparently, he’d been wrong._

 

🕘 🕘 🕘

 

The water in the bathtub sloshed around as Jongin moved. There wasn’t nearly enough in it for the water to spill over but Jongin still slowed down a little as he lowered himself into the water.

After their talk and a shared dinner consisting of canned meals, Jongdae had suggested Jongin take a bath. They apparently had quite a lot of water resources due to large water tanks in the building so while Jongin had taken off the bandage, the other four had grabbed some empty buckets and filled them up with water.

Once there was a sufficient amount in the tub, Jongdae, Baekhyun and Chanyeol had retreated to give the two some privacy.

"How are you feeling?"

They’d heated up some of the water in a large pot, but it was still only lukewarm. To Jongin, it was a welcomed change.

"I'm okay."

Sehun wasn’t buying it. "Really?"

"Really."

Knowing that Jongin wouldn’t say anything else no matter how often he asked, he decided to change the topic. "You know... Earlier when I turned around and you weren't there anymore. I got so scared."

In circular movements, Sehun moved a washing cloth over Jongin’s back, rubbing away the grime and dirt that had collected there in the past few days. It was more than the two had expected but as much as Sehun wished to bathe as well, a short wash later would have to suffice. Water was a rare good and they’d learned it’s worth a long time ago.

"I didn't even realize you'd gone into a different direction. I just followed Chanyeol cause he was right in front of me, I thought we were all headed the same way." At Sehun’s ministrations, Jongin’s eyes had fallen shut and he just enjoyed the sensual feeling of Sehun washing him.

"It's not your fault, I wasn't trying to say that. I just- I wanted to say how scared it made me feel." Sehun had felt the exact moment Jongin’s muscles had tensed up at the mention of being scared and he felt sorry.

Humming, Jongin blinked open his eyes. The haziness was still there, now laced with sleepiness. "Me too. I asked them to go back but-"

"It was impossible. I know." The movement of the washing cloth stopped for a moment while Sehun wetted it once again, his fingers brushing Jongin’s thigh.

"How... How are you? After your brother...?"

Stilling, Sehun looked up to find Jongin staring at him. "I'm... Okay. It's weird how okay I am. I mean, I still feel fucking awful, but I still function. I wonder if that's my brain working on autopilot and tomorrow, after everything is over I'll just fall over and sleep for a billion years." As much as the topic was a serious one, Sehun had to chuckle.

A giggle escaped Jongin. "Please don't sleep for a billion years. I thought hibernation was my thing."

"I'll try not to."

The back rubbing resumed, and soon, Jongin’s eyes had fallen shut again. From behind the door, they could hear hushed conversation and the clanking of the dishes being done.

"Bathing feels good. I can't believe they have so much fucking water. If the circumstances were different, I'd ask you to bathe with me."

Just the thought of bathing together would have made every fibre in Sehun tingle at any other moment. The fact that now it only brought a longing smile to his face only show-cased how much of a toll the events of the day had taken on him too.

"Are you trying to hit on me even while being feverish from a zombie bite?" Sehun teased. It felt good to joke around like this once in a while. It was the best distraction from reality after all.

"It's hard to resist you, Oh Sehun. Maybe now you only have zombies running after you, but I bet during school and at uni, you were a snack too."

It might have been morbid to joke like this, but it made them both crack up.

"Shut up, you're making me blush. Are you sure your fever isn't higher than you let on? You're talking rubbish."

A few droplets of water hit him and belatedly, Sehun realized that Jongin had been the culprit.

"I'm only telling the truth."

Sehun rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"You know, I'm glad we're both guys. Imagine having your period or being pregnant in this kind of world." Another load of drops hit Sehun, this time his neck. He dropped the washing cloth and pretended to reach for the water bucket that was still full and destined for Sehun’s wash later.

"Okay, your imagination is definitely running wild-"

Holding up his hands in mock defense, Jongin cracked a smile. "Like this, we only have to worry about ruining our clothes with our cum, not our lives."

"Oh god, what did I do to deserve this?" Sehun had grabbed the bucket. Even though he didn’t intend on dumping it on Jongin, he did enjoy the short glimpse of surprise on his boyfriend’s face.

"You started dating me." Jongin provided. Apparently, the bucket of water wasn’t threat enough.

"I guess so."

A pout formed on Jongin’s lips. "Don't act like you regret it."

Unable to see his boyfriend look sad for a longer period of time than just one second, Sehun gave in. "I don't. You're just a dumbass."

The bucket found its way to the floor again and soon enough, Sehun was rubbing the washing cloth down Jongin’s chest.

"Hey Sehun.”

Sehun’s only response was a hum, the washing cloth following the attractive curve of Jongin’s biceps.

"Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Jongin-" He looked up, wondering where the sudden fondness was coming from.

"No, no. I'm not finished yet." There was something in his eyes that Sehun couldn’t read. Continuing to wash him, Sehun listened.

"When I first met you, I thought you were gonna shoot me for a second. But then you decided that I wasn't enough of a threat, thank god for that. Even though we already had a connection back then, I never thought we'd end up like this. And by this, I mean this close." Jongin broke off, his voice sounding awfully broken. After a short moment, he had caught himself again. "You're my world, Sehun. And by my world, I don't mean a world filled with a deadly virus and violence. I mean a world full of beauty, life, hope, and freedom, a world full of love and being loved. Cause that's what you make this world out to be when I'm with you, even if it doesn't seem that way at first glance. Can you give me my jeans for a second?"

That part had come unexpected. So pulled in by Jongin’s words, he reached for Jongin’s pants, not sure what sense it made though.

"Why?" He asked but Jongin just gave him a pleading look.

"Just do it please-"

 

There, at the bottom of the pockets of Jongin’s jeans, was something small. When Sehun’s fingers closed around the ring and pulled it out, he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming.

"Jongin-“ he started, a tiny metal ring gleaming in his palm from the light of the battery-run lamps in the bathroom.

When Sehun didn’t make any attempt to move, Jongin reached out to take Sehun’s hand holding the ring in his own. Gently, he took it from him, only to return it to Sehun’s hand by sliding it onto his ring finger. The whole time, Sehun watched in stunned silence.

"I've been carrying this around for weeks. I've wanted to do this at the lighthouse, underneath the stars after a magnificent round of sex and some wine we stole from the grocery store. I wanted it to be perfect and even though I know it's nothing official in the books, I wanted it to be official for us. I want to give this ring to you now, because I don't know if I'll still be able to do it tomorrow. It's nothing special, it's a cheap one at that, but it's the thought that counts. And to me, this thought is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, even if it's only one last day."

 

 🕙 🕙 🕙

 

After the bath, Jongin had fallen asleep the moment his back had touched the mattress. Due to the sleeping situation, they would all have to share, Sehun and Jongin occupying one, the trio the other two vacant ones.

It hadn’t come as a surprise that Jongin didn’t feel like staying up any longer, but the others were still huddled around the table, talking in hushed voices to not disturb his sleep.

"How's he feeling?" Chanyeol had eyed Jongin with worry the moment Sehun and him had emerged from the bathroom. No one had noticed the new ring on Sehun’s hand but he swore, he could still feel the touch of Jongin’s fingers ghost over his from when he’d slid it on him.

"He said he's okay, but he's good at pretending. I think he doesn't want to scare me." Following Chanyeol’s look, a fond look flashed through Sehun’s eyes as he watched Jongin sleep.

Laughing quietly, Chanyeol took a sip from the beer that they were drinking. "That sounds like Jongin."

There was a burning question on Sehun’s mind, and now, with a beer and some more crackers it felt like the right time to ask.

"You two were close, weren't you?" At that, Baekhyun and Jongdae also perked up. Everyone was interested in how they were connected.

Leaning back in his chair, Chanyeol nodded. "Yeah, kinda. Did he tell you about me?"

"Actually, he did."

A pleased grin spread on Chanyeol’s lips.

"For real?"

The genuine happiness made Sehun smile as well. "Yep." He could understand that Chanyeol was happy about that, he would probably feel honoured too.

It was Jongdae who brought them back to reality, and with that, back to important matters too.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the bonding time but I think we should discuss what we're going to do next." He suggested, taking a large gulp from his can.

"We?" Sehun had already forgotten about their decision to join them so Baekhyun felt free enough to remind him.

"Yeah, we as in, Chanyeol, Jongdae, Jongin, you and me." He pointed at each of them to emphasize his words.

"You really meant that little speech earlier then, huh?”

The trio looked like they couldn’t believe that Sehun had actually questioned them. Jongdae even looked mildly offended.

"Let's put it this way.” Baekhyun tried to explain, giving Sehun an intense stare. “You told me earlier you know about a military base that possibly has the ability to cure us from this bullshit. Why the fuck would we not want to go with you? There's literally nothing we could not risk, if it turns out to be a hoax, we can just come back here."

Immediately, Chanyeol agreed. "Baekhyun's right. If we let such a situation go to waste, we'd be damn stupid."

There was nothing Sehun could argue against that. Everything Baekhyun had brought up was correct, and if he’d been given the opportunity, Sehun probably would’ve gone for it too.

"So you really want to come with us? It's about nine kilometres of walking from here. It could be dangerous."

Jongdae only snorted. "Everything in this city is dangerous."

That was a good point.

"So you're sure?"

"Yes, we're sure. It's about time your duett becomes a quintett." Chanyeol grinned and placed his large hand on Sehun’s shoulder in what was probably supposed to be a friendly gesture.

Across from him, Jongdae made gagging noises. "Oh my god, Chanyeol please drop the horrible music jokes." He groaned.

Opposite of him, Chanyeol looked mildly offended.

"You usually laugh about my jokes..."

Apparently, it was time for Baekhyun to jump in on the teasing. "They're usually not that lame."

With beer and snacks, they continued to chat a little longer until Sehun decided that it was time to return to important matters, just like Jongdae had reminded them earlier. All the joking was nice and fun, but Sehun would only be able to genuinely enjoy it once he got that goddamn antiserum into Jongin’s veins.

Reaching for the map of Seoul that he’d precariously dropped on the floor while they’d cleaned up for dinner, Sehun spread it over the whole table. They’d all gone through a lot for this piece of paper and Sehun was going to make damn sure that it had been worth it.

Looking up from the landscape of Seoul, Sehun caught three pairs of eyes looking at him.

His finger found the military base after only a short time of searching.

"Well, if you're going to join us, we need to make a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snacks, romantic baths and rings - how did you feel about the chapter? Did you expect Jongin to pull out a ring?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't watched the teaser video yet, here's the [link](https://youtu.be/xfzg0uD4uCs) to it. Also, you can find the matching playlist to this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/n1xn950yyu6ho5knsilmleeam/playlist/15TErgjUZtwfiRvNgCGuQf?si=8XhL_R1-R9-J9Y0d3d_Efg).

Just one yesterday. That was all Sehun ever wanted to ask for. Just one more day with Jongin at the lighthouse, in their bed, at the beach, in his arms. Just one more time.

But the merciless burning of the sun on his skin and the ache in his feet told him a different story, one that he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the ending of.

Baekhyun had lent him his watch. With a pitiful look in his eyes, he’d watched as Sehun had put it around his wrist, making sure that it was secured tightly. It felt like with every hundred steps, the need to take a glimpse at the clock grew bigger. But at the same time, whenever he looked, he didn’t feel any relief at all. Instead, he watched the seconds tick by, turning into minutes and eventually into hours.

The next time he checked, the clock read 09:12 am.

5 hours left. That was all they had.

With a look into the sky, Sehun prayed that whatever god there was, he just hoped he was listening.

 

🕘 🕘 🕘

 

The plan they’d made wasn’t particularly difficult. There were about eight kilometres away from the military facility and it would take them about 2 hours to get there if they walked slowly.

Slowly, however, wasn’t slow enough for Jongin at this point.

This morning, when Sehun had woken up, he’d wondered if he’d fallen asleep next to a radiator last night. In reality, it was just Jongin who was burning up with a fever that had gotten a lot worse overnight. It had taken softly hushed words and some shaking to wake him up, and when Sehun got a glimpse at the drowsy look in his eyes, he knew that the next few hours were going to be more of a strain than the last few had been for Jongin, at least on the physical side.

After a short but filling breakfast – Jongin barely ate anything but the few bites Sehun forced into him – they packed up their bags. While Jongdae and Chanyeol discussed the finalities of the route they’d agreed on, Sehun changed Jongin’s bandages again. While they’d been sleeping, blood had soaked through the formerly pristine white fabric. Apparently, the wound didn’t properly close up and Sehun wondered if the virus or the constant movement had something to do with it, maybe it was a combination of both.

Gently, he put on the new bandages. The whole time he worked on Jongin’s arm, they didn’t exchange many words. Jongin’s eyes were glassy and every movement, even if it was just the movement of his lips, seemed to put a strain on him.

The previous night, they had decided on a supposedly secure way towards the base. Compared to Jongin and him, the other three had a vast knowledge of their surroundings. Conversationally, Baekhyun had informed him about how they’d met each other and why they’d settled on staying in this particular area. With a lot of time on their hands, they’d explored the buildings and streets as much as the situation of free-roaming zombies and madmen allowed and therefore had acquired quite the geographic advantage.

Due to this advanced knowledge, Jongdae had suggested they take a shortcut through the underground system. As they’d examined the map together, Chanyeol had noticed a straight connection from a station just a few metres away from their building leading straight towards a station that was roughly two kilometres away from the military base.

None of them had been exactly sure what would be waiting for them down in the subway system and they hadn’t been 100% sure if they were really going to take that route. Yet, Jongin’s current state had convinced them that the shortest route was probably the best one for them. If they had to walk through the streets, they easily had two or more kilometres to walk and Jongin looked like only one was an impossible obstacle already.

With their backpacks shouldered, they left the building for good when they’d all checked if they’d packed everything they needed. For a short moment, Sehun wondered if Jongdae, Baekhyun and Chanyeol felt any of the sadness that had overcome him when they had had to leave the lighthouse. Even now, the yearning after a night in their bed with the sound of the screams of seagulls and the breaking of the waves still caught up with him whenever he thought just a moment too long about the lighthouse.

When the door fell shut behind them, they all knew that the final hours had come.

 

The walk to the subway station was short and quiet. Neither felt the desire to converse much and out in the open, it was better to be quiet anyway. Jongin was walking next to Sehun, sweat covering his forehead. The sun didn’t stand that high in the sky just yet.

“How are you feeling?” Sehun whispered, his hand resting on the small of Jongin’s back. They’d packed all their belongings into just one backpack, cutting down to the necessities once again just so that Jongin didn’t have to carry one. It was hard for him as it was and he didn’t need a backpack to worry about that weighed several kilos.

“I’m okay.” Jongin murmured, and Sehun almost wanted to laugh. Leave it to Kim Jongin to say he was fine when even the pigeon picking at nothing over there on the sidewalk could tell that he was in fact not fine at all.

“You’re a bad liar, Jongin.” Sehun mumbled. Jongin only sent him a small smile in return and they both continued walking in silence just like the rest of them.

The escalators leading down to the subway station were longer than Sehun had remembered. There was this really weird feeling that something was off while walking down escalators that didn’t work and without a fail, Sehun felt the same way this time around again. Chanyeol was walking in the front, the light of his torch leading the way. Baekhyun had given Jongin and Sehun new torches before they’d left. The new ones were stronger and brighter and the battery was supposed to last longer, too. Staring into the gaping darkness in front of them, Sehun didn’t doubt they’d need them.

Jongdae was the last in line, checking if anyone came from behind. Only now, Sehun realized how out in the open they were in the dark. Their light only reached so far, and the electricity had long left the lights of the Seoul subway system.

Just when they reached the end of the stairs, Sehun wondered if it was maybe smarter to go back to the surface after all. A soft glimmer of the daylight could be seen when he turned his head a little, only a memory of the blue sky above them. The desire to turn around almost made him speak up, his lips already parted, but then Chanyeol started moving again, and they all followed him into the darkness.

 

🕙 🕙 🕙

 

_“We can’t pack all that into the car, that looks more like a summer vacation than an emergency ration.” Jongin was standing in front of the van, his hands on his hips, as he examined the large trunk of the vehicle in front of him._

_“I mean we can still leave the stuff that we don’t need behind when it comes down to it, right? In the end, it matters what we carry in our backpacks.” Sehun pointed out. He was standing beside Jongin, peeking over his shoulder to check what was going on._

_They’d spent the whole afternoon sorting through things they wanted to put into the trunk of the car and their bags as an “emergency kit” of some sort. In the end, their so-called emergency kit was a lot more than they had initially thought thought._

_Not only Sehun but also Jongin had a hard time differentiating between the things they thought they wanted to keep with them in case they had to leave the lighthouse quickly that more often than not, whatever object they were discussing ended up on the “put it into the van if we don’t currently or will soon need it” pile._

_Staring at the filled up trunk, they both knew their method hadn’t been the most successful one though._

_“I think we need to sort through this again.” Sehun now admitted when Jongin reached out to grab something which promptly resorted in a avalanche of objects triggered by the simple movement. A package of plant seeds had fallen to the ground and Sehun bent down to pick it up only to place it back to the trunk._

_Jongin watched him, not daring to touch anything again in case it would cause another flood of cans, buckets and wood logs – yes, Sehun had insisted that it was always smart to have chopped up wood with them in case they needed to start a fire that would last them a while._

_With a sigh, Sehun wrapped his arms around Jongin’s slim waist. His chin naturally found its way into the hollow between Jongin’s shoulder and neck. “Let’s take a short break and then try our luck again, yeah?”_

_Jongin, who’d already mentally made a list of what they could take out of the trunk of the car again, nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.”_

🕥 🕥 🕥

 

It was almost cold in the pitch-black darkness of the long tunnel. They’d almost walked into the wrong hole in the wall, only the signs allowing them to orientate themselves. The absolute silence of the underground hall reminded him of the eerie quietness of historical vaults. If the quiet hadn’t been so useful for them to detect any enemies ahead of time, Sehun would’ve wished for at least some noises to fill the air.

Walking into the tunnel hadn’t been as scary as originally anticipated, at least not scarier than the rest of this whole operation or how Chanyeol had liked to call it back at the table in the apartment. “Operation EXO-L” had sounded a lot cooler in theory than in practice, because now, Sehun wished they had opted for the above-the-ground-plan after all.

Somewhere along the way, Jongin’s palm had found its way into Sehun’s hand and he squeezed it once. He wondered if Jongin could feel the ring he’d put on his finger the previous night.

Even now, he found himself wanting to constantly touch the ring, not even necessarily to check if it was still there but rather just to actively feel its presence.

The display of the digital clock shone even brighter in the darkness than in daylight. To Sehun, it just felt like the numbers wanted to taunt him as he stared at them, again and again. One time, he almost tripped over a stone in the trackbed, sending him stumbling. Jongin didn’t let go of him though, and when Sehun had straightened up again, he murmured a quiet “I’m okay.” and the group continued their march through the black nothingness.

 

🕚 🕚 🕚

 

_Sorting through all the things in the trunk of their car had been postponed after a very extensive round of sex, followed by a drawn-out dinner which they’d finished with a dessert of canned fruits._

_Half-naked, they sat on the floor of the small room in the lighthouse that they spent most their time in, the radio playing the same old tunes as they looked through their private belongings._

_Even though they hadn’t been in the mood to head outside anymore, both of them had felt bad about not continuing with their task of packing up for bad times. This had resulted in them huddling together on the floor in only their boxer briefs with a large number of various things strewn around them._

_They both had found really nice camping backpacks in one of the houses in the village and had decided that those were a great addition to their repertoire. Obviously, both had long since upgraded the smaller university backpacks that they’d started out with on Day Zero, and had exchanged those for bigger ones back in Seoul already. For some reason though, they both had managed to either break a strap (Sehun) or tear a hole into the bottom (Jongin)._

_Now, with two new large and intact backpacks, they were ready to look through the things they wanted to keep in them. They knew that if it ever came down to it, their backpacks were the things they would try to keep with them as long as possible. Therefore, their most valued belongings had to find a spot somewhere inside them._

_A notepad and a pencil case as well as a laptop were placed on Sehun’s side. Reaching for the laptop, Sehun put it into the special laptop pocket of the backpack, making sure that it was safe and secure. Back when he’d still gone to university, he’d taken his laptop with him every day. Even now, he couldn’t imagine leaving it behind. After the laptop, his notepad followed. Inside were notes from university, shopping lists, ugly scribbles because Sehun had no talent in drawing whatsoever but sometimes lectures were boring and he needed a distraction. There was no doubt that he didn’t need the notes or any of the shopping lists anymore, but more than any palpable value, they carried a personal value for Sehun. These bullet-points about whatever topic he’d been listening to were one of the few things he had left from his life before Day Zero._

_It was funny how just months ago, he would’ve thrown away the whole thing if someone had given him 50 bucks for it because he’d been a broke student and 50 bucks sounded like a good deal. Now, not even a million would get him to let go of the worn-out notepad, also while ignoring the fact that they were living in a world where money no longer had any worth anyways._

_Next to him, Jongin had already packed up most of the stuff he’d been carrying with him for weeks now too. To his luck, Jongin had been carrying pictures of his family in his purse so he didn’t even need electricity to charge his phone when he wanted to look at them. In all honesty, Sehun felt a little jealous sometimes, but every time his thoughts began to take a turn into that direction, he just had to think of the fond expression on Jongin’s face whenever he stared at the pictures and all the jealousy vanished, instead replacing a need to always make Jongin look this fond._

_The other things that Jongin had carried in his bag besides his purse had been dance clothes and a bag of sweets. That had long been emptied by now and the dance clothes were already packed into the new backpack._

_Sehun reached for the next item beside him. The stone felt cold against his palm, the round and smooth shape fitting into his hand just perfectly._

_“Do you know where that’s from?” He asked, and he didn’t doubt that Jongin remembered._

_“The beach, obviously.” Jongin responded, leaning over to take a better look at the item in Sehun’s palm._

_Humming in approval, Sehun dropped the stone in Jongin’s hand, watching as the other turned and examined it, his fingers brushing over the almost soft surface._

_“Do you also remember when I picked it up?” Sehun wondered._

_Jongin’s thumb smoothed over the surface of the small object. It was almost perfectly round, like a tiny, stony earth. Or the moon, he corrected himself. The moon fit a lot better, considering the light grey colour and beautiful fine lines that decorated the stone._

_“It’s from the night when we looked at the stars, right? Looking for shooting stars.” It had taken a moment, but now Jongin was sure that it had been that exact day. Originally, they’d been looking for seashells, with flashlights in their hands even though it had been a full moon. While they’d found quite a few pretty shells, Sehun had also stumbled over this rock – quite literally actually. He’d stepped on it by accident and had lost his balance, almost falling back against Jongin. When he’d bent down to see what had almost made him land his ass on the sand, Sehun had discovered the pretty stone. Even with all the pretty shells they had collected, the stone remained his favourite find of the day._

_“Yeah, it’s from that night. It’s so pretty, right?” The stone rolled back into Sehun’s palm when Jongin handed it to him and he turned it around, examining it in the fading sunlight. “It reminds me of the moon, somehow.”_

_Jongin chuckled. “I literally thought the same thing just now.”_

_“Yeah?” Surprise flashed in Sehun’s eyes and he smiled. Maybe soulmates weren’t just stories out of romance novels. Maybe, Sehun had found his own soulmate in a reality that seemed like one out of a horror movie slash road trip film. The thought of it didn’t sound so off when he thought about how his mind connected with Jongin._

_From the moment they’d met, something had just clicked. Their humour, their interests, even the things they disagreed on – everything just fell into place. Sometimes, there were those people that you didn’t know for too long just yet, but it felt like you’d known them for years. With Jongin, Sehun was sure that this was going to last an eternity._

_“Let me put it into the backpack so we don’t lose it. That way, we’ll always have a piece of this beach with us, even if we have to leave it one day.”_

🕚 🕚 🕚

“Is the walking okay? Do you need a break?” Sehun swerved the light cone of the flashlight towards Jongin, catching the strained expression on his face before the other could force a smile.

“No, we should continue. I kind of want to get out of here. The darkness is driving me crazy.” Jongin murmured. In the harsh white light of the flashlight, the bags under his eyes looked even worse than they had in the soft morning light. Sehun was almost shocked when he saw how bad Jongin really looked.

“If you need a break, we can take one, Jongin. A ten-minute break won’t cost us too much time and I don’t want you to collapse down here.” Reaching out to feel Jongin’s temperature, it felt even hotter now that they were in the cool tunnels of the Seoul subway system. A slight tremble went through Jongin’s body and Sehun wondered how he hadn’t noticed it yet.

“Are you cold?” Protectively wrapping an arm around Jongin, he wished he hadn’t stuffed their jackets into the bottom of the backpacks. Chills often went along with a fever and without a doubt, Jongin looked like he was freezing his ass off while simultaneously having the temperature of an oven.

“It’s okay. Maybe we could take a short break after all? Just five minutes.”

Immediately, everyone came to a halt, giving away that they’d been listening in on their conversation. It was hard to have any private exchange of words when every single sound felt like a scream in the never-ending silence of these subway vaults, so neither Jongin nor Sehun blamed the three for over-hearing their hushed conversation.

At Jongin’s request, they decided to take a short break. Half of them, including Sehun, Jongin and Jongdae sat down on the train tracks. The other half headed further down the tunnel to check if the path was clear.

“It’s fucking creepy down here.” Jongdae muttered, a water bottle in hand. They all had packed as many drinks and foods they could carry without feeling too constrained. While nutrition was important, being able to handle a rifle and fight was even more important, at least for the next few hours while they were out in the open.

“I know. I never thought I’d walk in a goddamn tunnel where I couldn’t see further than 10 metres or so.” Jongin mumbled. His head was leaning against Sehun’s shoulder, eyes threatening to fall shut with every passing second.

The light of the watch lit up, and Sehun read the time. 10:07. Almost an hour had passed. He wondered how far they’d made it. There was no stop until shortly before the station they wanted to get out again, so there was no way of telling how much progress they’d made already.

Just when Sehun was about to ask Jongin if he wanted one of the energy bars he’d packed, he realized that something was off.

There was a weird feeling going through the tunnel, something that was so subtle that he couldn’t place it at first. It took him more than a few seconds to make out what it really was. The ground was vibrating, and with every passing second, the impact was getting stronger.

Sehun’s first instinct told him that it was an earthquake. When he saw the lights at the end of the tunnel, growing brighter and brighter, he knew that it definitely wasn’t an earthquake at all.

 

🕦 🕦 🕦

 

_“Fuck, I cut my goddamn finger.” Tiny, red droplets stained the counter of their small kitchen. The knife, the source of all evil, laid beside the cutting board, a half cut tomato left forgotten now. Jongin was cursing, sucking on his finger while he tried not to spill anything on the cut-up vegetable._

_Earlier that day, they’d harvested their first few tomatoes. Initially, Sehun had wanted to harvest them last week already because he’d been too impatient to wait just a little longer but Jongin had had the feeling that they’d needed just a tad more time. Today, when they’d taken another look at the bush, the tomatoes had had an intense red colour, and Sehun had murmured “If those aren’t ripe, I’m not gay.” while he’d grabbed the first one, carefully prying it from the twig._

_“Do you need a band-aid?” Sehun, who’d been stirring the soup that was slowly simmering on the stove at low heat, had immediately stopped what he was doing when he heard Jongin’s hiss of pain._

_“I don’t think I need one, but I’d rather not bleed onto our freshly harvested tomatoes so putting one on seems like the smarter option.”_

_“Alright, wait a second.” Already turning around to search for one, Sehun knelt down on the ground and pulled open a drawer, taking out a small metal box. When he opened it, Jongin spotted numerous band-aids in all sizes and shapes. He was honestly a little bit impressed by how effortlessly Sehun had found the box right away, because Jongin sure as hell hadn’t known that they had a stash of both child and adult-friendly band-aids hidden in one of their kitchen drawers._

_Up again on his feet, Sehun stepped in front of Jongin. It took Jongin a short moment to figure out what motive was printed onto the band-aid that Sehun was currently peeling out of it’s packaging but when he saw it, he couldn’t hold back a snort. “Bears, really?”_

_Sehun just hummed as he waited for Jongin to present his finger to him so he could put it on. When he was done, he examined his work and grinned. “Bears are cute, okay?” He chuckled, their eyes meeting. “Just like you.”_

🕦 🕦 🕦

Baekhyun’s and Chanyeol’s screams filled the air. The tunnel that had previously been so silent and empty suddenly seemed to have filled with so much noise and movement that it took Sehun a few seconds to react.

“There’s a fucking train. A fucking train is coming towards us!” The sound of the approaching subway didn’t drown out Baekhyun’s loud voice just yet, but the closer it got, the more space the sound of the wheels on the tracks and the screaming of the engine took up.

Sehun felt like he was moving in slow-motion. Every move that he made, every step that he took appeared too slow for the approaching train. Next to him. Jongin had jumped up and reached for the backpack but Sehun snapped out of it, grabbing it and shouldering it quickly.

Suddenly, two faces showed up in front of them, huffing and puffing, and Sehun realized that it were Chanyeol and Baekhyun, both wide-eyed and out of breath. Jongdae was yelling something, but Sehun didn’t hear it.

He felt a hand yank him back, and automatically, he reached for Jongin too. His mind was rattling, trying to remember how broad the subways and the tunnels were and if there was enough space for people to stand at the walls of the tunnel.

His heart was thundering, louder even than the train on the tracks, as he pulled Jongin with him to the left. Sehun wasn’t sure who’d grabbed him but it didn’t matter. Somewhere in the process he had dropped his flashlight but there was no time to pick it up. On his back, he could feel the weight of his backpack and his fingertips felt Jongin’s shoulder, and that was all that mattered for now.

The light was so close already. The sudden brightness hurt his eyes and he felt tempted to close them but he couldn’t, he needed to see where he was stepping.

His back hit the wall. Something brushed his leg, and Sehun screamed, until he realized that it just been Jongin’s leg. It was Chanyeol in front of him, he now saw it, and they moved, pressed close to the wall, so close that Sehun felt the cold of the stone walls seep into his bones where they made contact.

The light was so close, so, so close. His eyes were burning, and he was tearing up. Chanyeol was yelling something, but he couldn’t make out his words. It was so loud, so bright, so intense, and Sehun wanted to scream. He wasn’t sure, maybe he screamed, but it was too loud to hear it.

Almost there. The train was almost there. The undertow blew the hair out of his face and tears gathered at the corner of his eyes and Sehun had to close them. Behind him, Jongin was still holding onto him, still following him with every step as they still moved forward.

Suddenly, Chanyeol was gone. And then Sehun felt it, the end of the wall, and he followed him.

 

🕦 🕦 🕦

 

_“I’m not cute. I’m handsome and sexy.” Jongin retorted, unaware of the pout on his lips that threatened to negate the meaning of his words._

_“You say that while pouting.” With a chuckle, Sehun dumped the band-aid wrapper in the trashcan and turned around to stir the soup again._

_“I’m not pouting.” Picking up the knife again, Jongin’s eyes landed on the tomatoes. When he’d cut them, he’d felt so tempted to snack on them but he wanted to savour the first bite until their dinner was done. It had to be perfect._

_“You were pouting. But it’s okay, because it’s cute.” Sehun insisted. The soup was almost done and all they had to do was wait for the bread to finish baking. Neither of the two had made bread before but they’d decided to give it a go._

_It was useless to argue with Sehun about the cute-disagreement so Jongin just rolled his eyes. “Well, if you say so.”_

_He didn’t expected the kiss on his cheek, and much the less the whispered. “I really do think so.”_

🕦 🕦 🕦

Sehun held his breath when the train rushed past them. Jongin’s fingers had somehow found their way to Sehun’s, their fingers laced together as they pressed their back to the walls of the tunnel. Chanyeol had been the first of the three to slip into the inlet in the wall of the tunnel. It was one of those emergency areas where there was more space to wait in case a train broke down and people had to be evacuated from the tracks.

Just seconds before the train bombed down the tracks just where they’d stood seconds ago, they’d slipped into the inlet. Sehun almost stumbled into Chanyeol and Jongin followed, resulting in the three just being able to hold themselves up before tumbling to the ground.

The train disappeared as fast as it had come.

When silence fell over the tunnel again, the light of the subway slowly disappearing in the distance, nobody dared to speak up just yet.

Whatever had just happened, none of them could explain it. All they knew that they had to get out of the tunnel system as soon as possible.

 

🕛 🕛 🕛

 

_Red, orange, and pink. White, yellow, and a light blue. The meadows were filled with various colours, each prettier than the neighbouring ones. Originally, Jongin had just wanted to collect the dried garments from the clothes line, but when he’d stopped next to the field where they’d put up the line between two trees, he couldn’t help but admire the beautiful flowers._

_In Seoul, he’d mostly seen artificially-arranged flower beds. Of course, they’d been pretty, but the power of wild, untamed nature somehow touched him more. In the end, Jongin thought, no matter how hard humans tried to create art, nature would always outdo them. Architects could only ever strive to build the monumental formations years and years of natural changes had created, artists could only ever dream of painting the sunsets that the sun did so effortless every single day._

_When Jongin returned back to the lighthouse, he did not only carry a basket filled with freshly washed clothes with him but also a bouquet of wildflowers in his hands._

_The smile on Sehun’s face the moment he spotted the flowers in Jongin’s hand just convinced him even more that it was nature that created the most beautiful things in life._

🕧 🕧 🕧

 

Sometimes, even the scalding heat of the empty streets of Seoul could feel welcoming.

When the group of five stepped out of the shadows of the subway station, their legs tired from the many steps it took to get to the surface, none of them had expected the light to feel so good on their skin.

Just after the train had rushed past them, they’d decided that as soon as they got to the next station, even though it wasn’t the one they’d been originally aiming for, they were going to get out. None of them were keen on encountering another train driving past them at full speed, and they were even less fond of the thought of meeting the people on the train.

“How the fuck did they manage to make the fucking subway work? They have to have a huge functioning power source somewhere.” Chanyeol had hissed as they’d walked through the pitch-black tunnel. Even Jongin was quicker now, adrenaline still pumping through his veins from the near-death encounter, and no matter how often Sehun tried to tell him that it was okay to take it slow, he would be lying if he said that he didn’t want to get out there as soon as possible as well.

The shock was still stuck in their bones, and neither the couple nor Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae could make sense of the event.

“No clue how they did, but the fact that they did is kind of scary as fuck.” Baekhyun muttered. _They._ None of them knew who _they_ were, but in their world, it was better to not know sometimes. Sehun’s first guess had been a governmental organization of some sort, or even the military. Then again, there was also a high chance that it was an autonomously organized group that somehow managed to produce enough electricity to feed a subway line. In the end, what was probably more interesting was the reason for such an undertaking. Sehun couldn’t really think of anything but quick transport.

“And you never heard anything? Not any sounds? Since there’s no traffic at all, shouldn’t you be able to hear or feel the subway? I doubt it was the first time it drove again, and if it was, we’re pretty unlucky.” Sehun wondered.

In the light of the flashlights, Sehun could see the trio exchanging looks.

“Well…” Jongdae started, his voice a little uncertain. “I don’t know if we’re all thinking the same thing, but there actually was something. About once a month, there were these… earthquakes. We thought they were earthquakes at least. The ground was vibrating a little, and we heard these weird noises. Looking back, it definitely could have been the subway causing that, especially if it drove in a tempo like it did just now.”

“I was thinking about that just now, too.” Chanyeol confessed and Baekhyun nodded.

 

It took them roughly 10 more minutes until they reached the first station and with each other’s help, they managed to climb out of the tracks onto the platform. Now that they were at a station again, they decided to keep their conversation to a minimum. The effort was in vain, since their flashlights would clearly give their presence but nonetheless, the thought gave them the irrational feeling of security.

“Fuck.” Baekhyun let out a breath of relief. He was the last one to step out into the sun, inhaling the scent of the hot summer day. It wasn’t a nice smell, not with the odour of the dead bodies still rotting away in the buildings all over the city, but it was the closest to fresh air that they could get right now and they sure as hell were going to take it.

The small group decided to take a break. The exertion was still written on their faces, and especially Jongin looked like he was going to break down if just took a single step more. Without asking, Chanyeol and Sehun reached out to support him and together, they made it to a building where they sat down to drink and rest for a short while in the shadows. Jongdae and Baekhyun checked the surrounding rooms while Sehun unpacked the food and drinks they’d packed, making sure that Jongin drank almost a whole bottle of water.

“You should just leave me behind.”

Jongin’s voice pierced through the silent room. Sehun, who’d been rummaging in one of the backpacks, stilled.

“Why the fuck would we do that?” Chanyeol asked, voicing Sehun’s thoughts out loud.

“We all just almost got run over by a fucking subway train because we decided that this was the better option because of how bad my condition is. I’m just… I’m just a burden for you.” Resignation laced his words, but Sehun could also hear fear.

“Jongin, if you really think I’d leave you behind now, I’m afraid you don’t know me as well as I thought you did. We’re literally so close. So, so close. There are maybe three kilometres left, maybe 3 and a half! We can do it in less than an hour. Fuck, even if I’d have to carry you every single metre, I’d do it.” Sehun reached out for him but Jongin turned his face away.

“There are only two hours left. Two fucking hours Sehun. So much could go wrong judging by what else has gone wrong already. What if we don’t make it in time? You should just leave me here and go on without me, you remember our promise, right? You said you’d shoot me if you had to. You promised me that.”

Next to them, Chanyeol stilled. Baekhyun’s and Jongdae’s voices were distantly audible through the wall, a clear sign that the floor was empty.

“I don’t want you to die because of me, Sehun.” Jongin’s next words were quiet and he had to bite his lips to stop the tremble after he’d finished.

At that, Sehun almost wanted to laugh.

If it weren't for Jongin, Sehun wasn't sure if he could've made it this far. Not in a sense that he couldn't have survived, no. It was more of a feeling that without Jongin, he wouldn't have wanted to make it this far. So, hearing Jongin say that he was afraid that he could die because of him was absurd, because without Jongin, Sehun wasn’t sure if he any longer had a reason to not die.

This time, Jongin didn’t move away when Sehun reached out to gently cup his face. Slowly turning his face towards him, Sehun hated to see the tears in Jongin’s eyes. With his thumb, Sehun brushed a single tear away that had slipped down Jongin’s cheeks.

"Do you still remember that night at the beach underneath the stars? Because I do. Maybe what's running through your veins right now is chemistry, aligned and bound molecules, but what I can feel in my heart right now isn't just some formula, Jongin. And that's why I need you. Maybe my body needs oxygen, or food, or water, but my soul needs you to live. You have to stay with me, please." Sehun hadn’t realized that tears were running down his cheeks too. Jongin just looked at him, lips parted with words unspoken, but he wasn’t done yet, he needed Jongin to understand.

“Jongin. I think in the past 46 hours I only did what I would have done for you even if there hadn’t been a countdown. Last night, you gave me a ring, didn’t you? A ring that carried the promise of you spending the rest of your life with me. And even if there’s no antiserum, no Project EXO-L, no cure to this, there are still two more hours that I get to spend with you. And I want to spend them with you. Please don’t take that away from me, Jongin. Please don’t-“ Sehun hiccuped, having to stop talking for a second to wipe away the tears that were now running down his cheeks in tiny rivers. “Please just let me be with you just that little bit longer. I love you, Jongin. I love you so much. Please don’t make me leave you now.” Burying his face against the others neck, he inhaled Jongin’s scent, so unique. He didn’t care about the sweet or the dirt, all he cared about was that Jongin was still here, still warm, still breathing. And if there was one thing that Sehun knew, it was that as long as Jongin’s heart was still beating, Sehun would fight.

 

🕧 🕧 🕧

 

 

_The ring wasn’t anything special. Jongin had found it in the village, not even sure if it was worth much. Neither did he know what kind of jewel it was that was worked into the silver material, nor did he know if it was actual silver and a real jewel after all._

_Of course, he hadn’t been looking for himself. Actually, he hadn’t been looking at all if he put it that way. The gleaming of the ring had just caught his eyes, and then an idea had popped up in his mind._

_When he’d tried it on, it had fit pretty well. Were Sehun’s fingers the same size as his? He’d had them on him, in him, but he sure as hell hadn’t measured them._

_Holding the ring up into the light again, he smiled. Even if it didn’t fit onto Sehun’s ring finger, the meaning behind it would be clear either way._

🕧 🕧 🕧

More than 46 hours had passed. Less than 2 hours were left.

After their emotional outbreak, they had needed a few minutes until they were ready to go again. It only took a few steps of Jongin for them to realize that the other wouldn’t make it without their help. Outside the building, they’d found a supermarket and promptly, they’d maneuvered Jongin into one of the carts, pushing him through the city.

Yes, Sehun had said that he’d even carry him, and yes, he would’ve done it for as long as he could, but this option was less of a strain. The only downside it had to it were the loud noises of the squeaky wheels on the cracked concrete.

They were bound to attract unwanted attention.

However, it didn’t stop them from walking.

Sehun seemed to check the clock even more frequently than he had in the past hours already. The streets were quiet, but the thoughts in his head were louder than a horde of zombies could have ever been. His hands gripped tightly to the handle of the shopping cart. When Jongin turned his head to look up at him, he smiled.

A kilometre passed. They weren’t far anymore. Sehun’s nerves were on fire. Every tiny sound around him made him look around hectically.

There, a street sign that read “Military base.” The arrow pointed straight down the road.

Sehun checked the watch again.

 

🕐 🕐 🕐

 

_47\. 46. 45_

 

Time was running, and no matter how fast they tried to walk, it seemed to outrun them either way.

The concrete beneath their feet was littered with cracks. Weeds had nestled their way into the narrow clefts and left the ground in patterns that reminded of strewn out puzzle pieces that someone had forgotten to put together again.

 

_31\. 30. 29._

 

It hadn't rained in days. Mercilessly, the sun burned down on them as they crossed the large plaza. Shards of broken glass reflected the rays of light that hit them, breaking them down into a billion specks of colour. It would have looked beautiful if they'd had the time to look, but like this, the pieces of glass were only a hindrance to them. Sharp edges boring into already worn thin soles of their boots and the brightness of their reflection blinding their tired eyes. The rattling of the shopping cart had become the melody of their march.

 

_14\. 13. 12._

 

Time. Just days ago, he'd thought they had eternity ahead of them. Not necessarily in a good way, no. But at least they'd had it. These days, it was important to cherish whatever you still had left. No matter if it was a bottle of Soju they'd found in an abandoned seven eleven, a magazine of half-empty ammo, or just the knowledge that they had an eternity to themselves.

Now he seemed to have everything but time. It was funny how quickly things could change in times like this. From one second to the other, everything that he thought had been a given had shattered into pieces and picking them up again seemed like a game with zero chances of winning. Still, he played along as long as there was still an ounce of hope in him.

Another glance at the watch on his wrist, another second that passed.

 

_8\. 7. 6._

 

Blotches of deep red had begun to seep through the once pristine white fabric. They only had one more bandage left, but they didn't have the option to stop and exchange it either way. In the end, it was only decoration, he thought.

An attempt to cover up the inevitable, the nightmare that festered inside the other's veins, the fate that lay solely in the hands of time.

The last time he'd checked, the wound had looked worse than just a few hours before that. Just by looking at it, he could practically see the venom spreading inside the other's veins, poisoning him from the core.

Once upon a time, the deep red colour had been one of his favourite. Now, it left behind nothing more than a twist in his gut and the feeling of nausea, coupled with an overwhelming feeling of despair.

The ring on his finger gleamed in the harsh sunlight, blinding and intoxicating at the same time.

 

_2\. 1. 0._

 

Just like that, another hour had passed. Another hour that had brought them closer to hour zero. There wasn't much time left, just a single hour, and there was still so much of the way ahead of them.

When one countdown had ended, the final one had just begun.

His legs were heavier, but his heart felt heavier. In the past 47 hours, they hadn't gotten much rest.

If they didn't stop now, they could still make it. After everything that had happened, they still had a chance. They had to make it.

When he turned his head, he saw him looking at him. They shared a short smile.

 

Behind them, he heard a noise. And suddenly, everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we're back to the beginning. Do you think they'll make it?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't watched the teaser video yet, here's the [link](https://youtu.be/xfzg0uD4uCs) to it. Also, you can find the matching playlist to this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/n1xn950yyu6ho5knsilmleeam/playlist/15TErgjUZtwfiRvNgCGuQf?si=8XhL_R1-R9-J9Y0d3d_Efg).
> 
> The last chapter... I hope you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it, even though it frustrated me sometimes, gave me headache or a heart attack in a uni seminar when I thought I'd deleted 12k by accident.

The sounds of mechanical beeping filled the air. His ears rang. There was a dull ache in his head, his temples throbbing.

Darkness.

The rhythmic sound of the beeping continued. Where did it come from? His body felt like he was floating, resting on a cloud of softness. Was he dead? Was this heaven?

A sharp pain cursed through his forehead, accumulating to a wave of intense stinging running through the area where his eyebrow was located.

The sound of a door opening – he listened up.

Footsteps. First a little further away, now coming closer. They stopped right beside him.

Slowly, Sehun blinked his eyes open.

 

🕐 🕐 🕐

 

_A sharp pain shot through Sehun’s head. He didn’t know how he’d ended up on the floor. The concrete underneath his palms was so hot that it almost burned his skin. Sehun wasn’t sure if the hiss that escaped him came from the pain of the wound on the side of his head or the screaming pain of his bare skin where it touched the ground._

_Surprised, Sehun let out a small noise when his arms gave in under his weight and he fell back onto the ground. He wasn’t sure what was going on. Distantly, he heard yells, his ears ringing. There was something wet on his face, running down his cheek and chin._

_A small puddle of red had already began to gather on the street, and Sehun realized that it was his blood that was running down the side of his face._

_Blood. Injuries. Jongin-_

🕐 🕐 🕐

 

"Good afternoon, Sehun."

A foreign voice suddenly spoke up. Sehun, who’d just opened his eyes, was still overwhelmed by the brightness of the room. Blinkingly, he tried to make out more than just the vague shape he was seeing in front of him. The throbbing in his head had increased, and he almost felt tempted to close his eyes again, drifting off to unconsciousness.

"Good... What? Afternoon?" His mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. Every word tasted foreign, as if he was saying it for the first time. Even in his own ears, his voice sounded like the one of a stranger. _Afternoon? What time was it? What day was it? Where was he?_ There were so many questions, but he felt so weak.

Slowly but surely, the person in front of him took shape. When Sehun’s eyes had finally focused, he could make out a man, maybe in his early thirties with a long white cloak and a clipboard in his hands. Sehun’s mind started racing.

Before Sehun could voice out the questions that were racing through his head though, the man spoke up again.

"Yes. It's currently 4:25 in the afternoon. You slept for more than 24 hours." A polite smile seemed to permanently be etched onto his lips. The only change in expression was the slight worried look in his eyes when Sehun tried to push himself up in the bed a little, groaning when he realized there was a cannula attached to his hands and that it hurt when he bent his hand the wrong way.

"Jongin- Jongin! Is he okay? My boyfriend! He was bitten- is he?" He choked out. The cotton in his mouth had disappeared, now replaced by the dryness of a desert residing in the back of his throat. The beeping of the machines had grown more rapid, and belatedly he realized it was the rhythm of his heartbeat that had skyrocketed at the thought of Jongin.

With furrowed eyebrows, the doctor examined the monitor displaying Sehun’s vitals for a second before he put down the clipboard. For a moment, Sehun expected him to sit down at the side of his bed and he closed his eyes. He couldn’t be- Jongin couldn’t be-

"He's alright.” The voice of doctor broke through the mental cacophony of screams inside his head. “He's currently still sleeping, but the antiserum seems to be working well. His heart rate is normal and his antibody levels have risen substantially."

Sehun hadn’t listened anymore after the first two words. The only thing that he needed to know that Jongin was alive. That he was okay. Even alright, the doctor had said. Before he knew it, tears were running down his cheeks again, and relieved, disbelieving laughter filled the room.

"He's.... Alive?" He gasped as more tears spilled from his eyes. The snot in his nose made it hard to breathe and Sehun wiped at his face, ignoring the pain in his hand at the movement. Jongin was alive. They’d made it, they-

"Yes." The doctor sent him a genuinely happy smile. Sehun’s outburst must have touched him, because he ended up pulling a chair next to the bed that Sehun hadn’t even noticed standing in close proximity to the bed. The doctor sat down next to him and picked up the clipboard again. It seemed like he wanted to give Sehun some time to take in the information because for now, he didn’t ask any further questions. Instead, he just stayed quiet and watched as Sehun reached up to put his face in his hands.

When he took them away again, he had calmed down a little. Hormones of joy still raced through his bloodstream and Sehun wondered if this was what flying felt like – maybe he also had a dose of painkillers in his system – he wasn’t sure.

"Holy shit. I'm sorry. I just-" He let out a breath. The tears had stopped streaming, and a smile seemed to be permanently etched onto his face, even as he spoke. "I'm just so happy."

The doctor just shook his head and smiled. "I understand that. I'm glad that his body is accepting the injection so well." Obviously, he was referring to the antiserum. So it really had existed after all, Sehun thought. It hadn’t been a hoax.

"I can't believe it was real. Project EXO-L. We made it. We fucking made it." Another laugh escaped him, and Sehun wasn’t even sure why he was laughing. Nothing about this was funny, but he just felt so relieved that he couldn’t help it.

At the mention of Project EXO-L, the man’s expression changed.

"Your friends already told me that you were well informed about the project. To be honest, that's quite unsettling."

There was a clock ticking on the wall. Sehun hadn’t noticed it until now. Time didn’t concern him anymore, because now he knew that Jongin was safe. There was no longer a countdown that they had to outrun.

Ignoring what the man had just said about Project EXO-L, Sehun answered the question by asking one of his own.

"Who are you? Are you a doctor?"

A blush coloured the man’s cheeks. Apparently, he felt a little embarrassed that he had forgotten to introduce himself. Clearing his throat, he slightly bowed to greet Sehun politely.

"Yes, I am. My name is Kim Junmyeon. I’m sorry that I forgot to properly introduce myself. As you might have guessed, I'm also one of the leading scientists in project EXO-L among Dr. Zhang, Dr. Wu and Dr. Do. You'll meet them later on, they'll be really curious about what you have to say about how you learned about our work. They all wanted to talk to you about how you learned about our project, but we thought it’d be better to not assault you with a billion questions right after waking up.

 _How thoughtful,_ Sehun mused.

"How are the others? Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae? Are they okay? What happened?" After the initial relief of learning that Jongin was okay, he also needed to know if the others were in safety. Even though he hadn’t known them for a long time just yet, their willingness to help without receiving anything in return had meant a lot to him.

"They're okay.” The man, Dr. Kim, explained and relief flooded Sehun once again. He had no recollection of what had gone down after he’d got knocked out. Therefore, the doctors next words sparked his interest.

“I wasn't there, but I can tell you what I heard from Commander Kim."

 

🕐 🕐 🕐

 

_Gunshots filled the air, and Baekhyun cursed. “What the actual fuck is going on?” They’d slipped behind a tossed-over trash container, Jongin still hanging in the shopping cart. Chanyeol had picked up. Sehun was bleeding from a head wound. The stone that had hit Sehun’s head still lay in the middle of the street where they’d been walking just seconds ago._

_None of them heard the group behind them approach. They were raiders, those kinds of people you didn’t want to encounter even during the day. They were the kind of people that didn’t discriminate between grown men and small children. If you got in their way, you were a nuisance, and if you had anything to offer that they wanted to take, they were going to take it._

_The thing was, they hadn’t been interested in their little group, it seemed._

_The stone that had hit Sehun had been meant for a large military car that had crossed the street right in front of them. Where it had come from, Jongin didn’t know. However, wherever it had come from, several more vehicles were coming from at a fast speed, too._

_“What the fuck is this?” Chanyeol breathed next to Jongin._

_“Is that… the military? We need to get there!”_

_It was then when they realized where the sounds of the gunshots were actually coming from. It wasn’t the group of people that had thrown the stones, the shots actually came from the military. However, they weren’t aimed at anyone but the sky._

_Warning shots”, Jongdae mouthed._

_The turned over garbage container shielded them from the sight of the raiders. At the same time, it disabled them from seeing them too._

_“What are they doing? Do they really think they can take on a military convoy?” Baekhyun hissed._

_“Who knows, it sure seems like they’re trying.”_

_The sounds of a roaring engine made them look up. The raiders, who’d come with four cars that had been hidden in one of the streets when their little group had passed, sped down the street towards the military convoy._

_“I know this sounds like a really bad idea, but what if we make the military notice us? Maybe this is our last chance.” Baekhyun yelled over the noise of the engines, and everyone turned their heads toward him._

_“Are you fucking crazy?” Chanyeol breathed and Baekhyun couldn’t help but chuckle._

_“Maybe I am, but what could we lose?”_

_Jongdae raised a brow. “Um, our fucking lives, maybe?”_

_“I doubt they’ll shoot at us. We’re clearly not the target of the raiders nor does the military to have a reason to attack us.” Baekhyun tried to reason._

_They didn’t have much time left. More blood was trickling from the wound on Sehun’s head and the Jongin had just let out another groan from where he was lying in the shopping cart, head lolled to the side. The fever had made him delirious and he didn’t understand what the others were saying anymore._

_“Ugh.” Chanyeol groaned when he sent a glance into Jongin’s direction. “Okay, fuck it. Let’s do it.”_

_By the time they emerged from behind the containers, there was no sign of the military cars nor the raiders anymore. It seemed like they were chasing each other. They could hear the sound of screaming wheels against the concrete from a few streets away._

_“Fuck, we missed them.” Baekhyun cursed but then suddenly, something came shooting down the street towards them._

_At first, they thought the raiders were back but then they recognized the khaki military truck. Instantly, they raised their hands to signal that they meant no harm._

_Their hearts pounded in their chests when the car came to a stop in front of them, four men with automatic rifles storming out of the back of the truck._

_Never before in his life had Baekhyun had so many barrels of a gun pointed at him._

_“Hands up where we can see them! Also you in the shopping cart over there.”_

_One of the men yelled. He’d gotten out of the passenger seat of the truck when Baekhyun and the others had been too busy trying not to make a move so they wouldn’t get shot._

_“He can’t. He’s got a fever. We don’t mean any harm. We don’t belong with the raiders. They hit our friend with a fucking stone.” Baekhyun nodded into Chanyeol’s direction who was still carrying Sehun, now in his arms._

_“How should we know you’re not one of them?” The man, probably the squad’s commander, asked. He wasn’t tall, maybe the size of Baekhyun, but the look in his eyes was fierce. He looked like the type of person whose bad side you definitely didn’t want to get on._

_“I don’t know how to prove it to you, but we don’t belong to them. Jongin over there- he was bitten. We were trying to get to the military base because we heard that there might be an antiserum. Please, he needs help!”_

_“He was bitten?” The automatic rifles were still pointed at them, but the commander stepped closer. “How long has it been since he was bitten?”_

_“46 hours I think, maybe 47. Please, if you have an antiserum – give it to him. He and his boyfriend” Baekhyun glanced at Sehun in Chanyeol’s arms “went through so much shit to get here. They literally came from the other end of South Korea just because of the chance that there might be this antiserum from this project – fuck now I forgot the name – and I swear, they’re good people. Please help us.”_

_“How do you know about the project?” The commander’s eyes narrowed and Baekhyun wasn’t sure if he’d majorly fucked up just now._

_“Sehun – he hacked into a computer and read about it. He wasn’t even sure if it was true but when his boyfriend got bitten he thought that it was the only way to save him. He didn’t know if there actually was an antiserum but believe me when I say that he’d do everything for Jongin. So please, if you have something, give it to him. They’re good people. We don’t mean any harm. We can put our weapons down, please just help us-“_

_“Okay. Put your weapons down and we’ll handcuff you until we’re sure you don’t belong to the raider group.” The man gave his troops a hand signal and promptly, they moved._

_From then on, everything went by in a rush._

 

_With handcuffs around their wrists, they were led to the truck. One of the soldiers had taken Sehun from Chanyeol’s arms while another lifted Jongin out of the shopping cart. All their weapons had been stripped from them, even the knife Jongdae had hidden under his pants was found when they patted them down._

_It felt weird to be stripped of everything they had to protect themselves, but when Baekhyun watched two of the soldiers tend to Sehun’s headwound in the back of the truck which looked more than a small room rather than a vehicle, he couldn’t bring himself to be very scared._

_When the commander himself reached for an injection and bent over Jongin, Chanyeol became wary though._

_“Hey, what are you doing?” He asked. The vehicle had started moving and they were sitting in the seats at the wall, the seatbelts saving them from tumbling from the benches that had been installed there._

_“I’m giving him the antiserum. You were right. There is one. I still don’t really understand how you know about it if you’re not part of the raid group, but we don’t want your friend to die when we have the antiserum right here. So will you let me do my job and give it to him?”_

_Chanyeol had never been shut up this quickly. Silently, they watched as the Commander, who’d introduced himself as Commander Kim Minseok to them after they’d put down the rifles, give Jongin the lifesaving shot._

_When he leant back again, Jongin still lay on the stretcher motionlessly. They hadn’t really expected him to sit up and magically feel well again and yet, the uneasy feeling still wouldn’t leave them._

_For now, they couldn’t do much but watch over the couple that laid on two stretchers beside each other, unconscious and unaware of the fact, that maybe their journey had finally come to an end._

 

🕑 🕑 🕑

 

After Dr. Kim had informed Sehun about the events that had been reported to him to have happened when they’d picked them up from the streets, the doctor had proceeded to explain to him that for now, Jongin was in a state of artificial sleep and probably would be for at least one to two more days. The news had resulted in an immediate peak of Sehun’s heart rate once again and not even Junmyeon’s soothing words that this was entirely normal for the recovery from the infection, could reassure Sehun.

His request to see Jongin was also denied, mostly due to the fact that whenever tried to move more than a few centimetres a flaring pain shot through his head. Also, a strong feeling of nausea had overcome him now that he’d been awake for more than an hour. Dr. Kim had explained to him that the nausea came from the concussion that he’d got from the stone attack.

At some point, Sehun felt too tired to continue their conversation. He’d drifted off to sleep even before the doctor had the chance to leave the room again.

The next time he woke up, Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Jongdae were there. They told him that they’d already checked on Jongin and that he was still sleeping. There was always a nurse around him, apparently, so at least the fact that everyone seemed to be taking great care of Jongin put his mind to ease. During their visit, the trio also told Sehun their version of the story which seemed to go hand in hand with what the doctor had told him earlier. When Sehun’s eyes started to fall shut again, they left Sehun with careful hugs and the promise to be back.

It was morning when Sehun finally felt a little better. He’d slept through the whole night and even had some light dinner shortly after the three had left him because a nurse had woken him up again to make him eat at least a little bit.

Now, after a considerably plain breakfast consisting of oatmeal and some apple sauce, five men had entered Sehun’s room. He’d just been about to ring the nurse to ask her if he could finally visit Jongin, but apparently, there were other plans for him.

The only one out of the five he recognized was Dr. Kim. He sent Sehun a warm smile upon entering and Sehun smiled back even though he wasn’t exactly sure what was in store for him.

The men though, all clad in white cloaks except for one, didn’t make him wait for too long to state what they wanted to know.

In the end, Sehun should’ve expected it, but when one of them, introducing himself as Dr. Wu Yifan, asked about how Sehun had found out about project EXO-L, he still wasn’t sure where exactly to start.

"I was searching through the data of computers at the other end of Seoul." He replied and sat up a little straighter in bed. All eyes were on him and he felt kind of gross. What he wouldn’t do for a shower…

"You'd have to have insanely high skills to hack into these systems. They're the highest security level in the state." A man with a small sign attached to his cloak spoke up. It read _Dr. Do_.

"Well, maybe the state should have hired me then. It wasn't that hard to be honest."

"You're cocky." Dr. Do raised a brow and it was obvious that none of them except for maybe Dr. Kim believed what he was telling them.

However, Sehun also didn’t know how to convince them that he was in fact telling the truth.

"I'm just saying that I didn't really have that many problems. If you want your data to be safer, I can help you with that." Maybe offering his services was the right approach, but Sehun somehow didn’t think it was the time to discuss that now. There were more pressing matters than a lacking firewall, at least to him.

"We might get back to you then. I still don't really buy it. Why don’t you tell us the whole story from the beginning? We’ve got time.”

After about ten minutes and several questions interrupting the flow of his storytelling, Sehun had reached the point in the story where he’d read about the last test subject. At this point, everyone seemed convinced that he was actually telling the truth, as unbelievable as it sounded at first.

"Ah.. that must have been test subject number 14… You really dug deep." Dr. Kim looked almost impressed while the rest of the men looked mildly uncomfortable with how much Sehun had been able to find out.

There was a question that had been on Sehun’s mind ever since he’d read that report and now, it seemed like the best time to ask.

"Did... That test subject really survive? Or was I running after false information after all? I mean in the end it didn't matter ‘cause the antiserum worked but..."

"That test object was me." Dr. Kim explained matter-of-factly. "So yes, you could say it was successful. However, that wasn't the final formula. We had minor changes after that but essentially, that was the breakthrough."

While Sehun had expected lots of answers, the idea of the scientist trying it on himself hadn’t once crossed his mind.

"You tested it on yourself?" He asked, still not entirely sure if the man was messing with him or not. The prospect of a scientist trying something this dangerous on his own didn’t sound like a smart move to him if he was being honest. "What if you had died? Who would have continued the research?"

Junmyeon nodded. "It was a risk, yes. We couldn't be sure if it worked. The chances were at about 50%. But throughout the project, we lost too many volunteers. These people died for the sake of humanity. Not all of them were bitten. Some infected themselves on purpose to test out if project EXO-L was successful."

Sehun hadn’t even thought about it that way before but now that he did, the thought was quite cruel.

"Why didn't you capture already turned individuals?"

Instead of Junmyeon, a man named Dr. Zhang, if the sign on his cloak was any indication, answered his question. “We did. But sadly, the antiserum isn't able to turn them back. It only works on those who haven't crossed the 48h border. Your friend Jongin was lucky. We always carry some of the shots with us whenever we're out. We immediately gave him the injection as soon as we were in the trucks back to the base. It was close but he still had a few minutes left."

"Yeah... Fuck." Until now, Sehun hadn’t known that it had been that close. The information didn’t sit well with him so he decided to change the subject back to the initial topic. "So you tested it on yourself eventually?" He looked at Junmyeon.

Dr. Kim nodded again. The smile that Sehun had thought to be permanent on his lips wasn’t there anymore. Suddenly, the man looked a lot more tired. "Yes. I couldn't stand seeing others suffer because of our failures. I didn't want to put another person through the hell ride to death for 48 hours. So tried it on myself. And this time it worked. Maybe it was fate."

"I never thought scientists believed in fate." The words were out before Sehun could think about them again.

"I never believed anyone would manage to hack into our systems.", Dr. Kim retorted.

"Touche."

"You know, I think in this world, it's sometimes necessary to believe in fate.” The doctor continued. “Even if it's just to keep you going for one more day. Or one more hour. You of all people should know what I'm talking about, don't you think?"

 

🕑 🕑 🕑

 

 There were a few more things that Sehun learned from the conversation with the five men besides the fact that Dr. Kim had actually tested out the virus on himself. For one, he learned that the reason why they were so interested in how he’d found out about the antiserum where the raiders who’d brought the head injury upon Sehun in the first place. Apparently, the group was more of an organization than a loose group. From what the military had observed and gathered over the span of several weeks, this group had somehow found out about the research they had conducted on the antiserum and were now trying to steal it to exploit the poor people on the streets by asking for goods in return for vials of the antiserum.

There were by far not enough vials for the whole population of Seoul, let alone the whole world, and the reserves that they had were precious and little. The problem with the production was that the military base they were currently located at did not carry all the necessary instruments to produce the antiserum on a large scale. That’s why the military had utilized the abandoned subway system to travel through the city safely and quickly. That way, Sehun had already learned that it had really been the military that had almost run them over in the tunnel systems underneath Seoul. The showdown they’d witnessed by accident had been just another attempt of the raid group to steal a portion of the antiserum from one of the many transports to the other facility.

Another thing that Sehun had found out about was that the following day, Jongin was supposed to be woken up from the artificial sleep.

 

🕑 🕑 🕑

 

Freshly showered and with a haircut as well as a much-needed shave, Sehun felt like a new-born. A nurse had given him new clothes, just simple but functional military pants and a white shirt. Everything fit well and for the first time in three days, Sehun felt like a decent human being again.

Inside the facility, the summer heat was a lot more bearable. Just like in most buildings in the city, the windows were barricaded but it wasn’t so much the lack of sunlight but rather the existence of functioning air conditioning that allowed the space to be cooler than any building Sehun had entered in the past weeks besides maybe the subway system.

Before he was allowed to see Jongin, he’d been advised to head to the cafeteria first to grab some lunch. It had been weird to enter the large hall and spot so many humans in one place after not seeing a single soul besides Jongin in months.

When he spotted the familiar faces of Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae at a table, Sehun made his way towards them. With a tray filled with steaming hot food, he settled at their table. Three large smiles greeted him.

“It’s good to see you walking around again! Did you already see Jongin? Did he wake up?” Chanyeol was the first one to start talking, looking overly excited to see Sehun up and alive. After spending some time with the man, Sehun wasn’t surprised that him and Jongin had been close friends before Day Zero.

“No, not yet. They told me to grab something to eat first and then I could walk to his room. I think they’re worried that I’ll faint or something so they want to get some energy into my system. How have you guys been?”

“Pretty good.” Baekhyun replied, mouth half full. Already back in the little apartment the trio had occupied Sehun had noticed that Baekhyun had the tendency to be a very noisy and very messy eater. “Everyone lets us do our own thing for now so we’re kind of just chilling. But I think they might want to hire us or something. I don’t know what we’ll be doing, but from what I’ve observed, everyone that lives here has some kind of job to do, even if it’s just cleaning the tables after meals.

They spent the rest of the meal chatting, but Sehun couldn’t focus on the conversation too much. The prospect of finally seeing Jongin again occupied the majority of his mind but the three couldn’t really blame him. When they noticed that Sehun was mostly just poking at his food and only half listening, they sent him off to check if he could finally see his boyfriend.

The walk through the corridors of the base seemed endless. Sehun hadn’t had the time to explore much yet, mostly because he still felt slightly wobbly on his legs due to the concussion. It had genuinely surprised him that the nurse had let him walk through the base without anyone observing him, but he was going to take the little privacy he could get for sure.

Room number 1485.

Sehun had memorized the instructions that had been given to him on how to get to the room starting from the cafeteria. Now that he stood in front of it, he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to knock or just walk in. The room was located in one of the two medical wards of the base. Sehun had been in the other one, and he wondered if it had anything to do with Jongin being infected. There was no one on the hallway but from somewhere to his right, he heard chatter coming out of a room.

Hesitating, Sehun lifted his hand but didn’t knock just yet. Instead, he rested it against the door as he tried to sort through his thoughts.

He’d been waiting for this moment for the past three days. Now that he could finally see Jongin again, a Jongin that was cured from the infection, something still seemed to hold him back though.

Taking a deep breath, Sehun knocked against the door. When there was no response, he carefully pushed the door open to peek inside.

There he was, lying on the bed with his eyes closed, his lips slightly ajar. _Jongin_.

Immediately, tears welled up again in Sehun’s eyes but he swallowed them down. Closing the door behind himself, he stepped into the room and slowly walked over to the bed. Conveniently, there was a chair next to the bed much like it had been in his own room.

He wasn’t sure what he’d expected: Jongin already awake or still asleep, Sehun didn’t know. Now, that he realized that the other was still sleeping, he settled for just looking at him.

In his sleep, Jongin looked peaceful. The stress off the past days had seemingly fallen off him, his expression calm and relaxed. He looked nothing less than beautiful.

Before he could think about it, Sehun had already reached out to brush a strand of hair out of Jongin’s face that had fallen into his eyes. Thankfully, his ministrations hadn’t woken up Jongin just yet.

Carefully, Sehun lowered his hand and interlaced his fingers with Jongin’s instead. Even with the other being asleep, he enjoyed being around him. It felt so good to just see Jongin in front of him, to know that he was still there.

 

Sehun didn’t know how much time had passed when a small noise escaped Jongin’s lips. Startled, Sehun leaned forward. His eyes were trained on Jongin’s face, and his lips parted when Jongin’s eyes slowly blinked open.

It took the other a moment to take in his surroundings. When his eyes fell on Sehun, recognition flared up in them and a tired smile spread on Jongin’s lips.

“Sehun.” He breathed, his voice raspy and dry. “Are we- am I-“

And with a smile, so bright that Sehun thought that his face was splitting into half, he nodded.

“Yeah, Jongin. We made it. You got the antiserum. It was all real.”

 

🕑 🕑 🕑

 

Before Sehun had been able to get out anything else beside that, a nurse had already rushed into the room. For the next 15 minutes, several short tests were conducted. Sehun sat through all of them, just waiting for the moment when they’d be alone again. When Dr. Zhang entered the room at last to give the final okay that Jongin was one hundred percent healed from the infection, Sehun hadn’t thought he could feel even more relieved than when he had back when Dr. Kim had told him that Jongin was okay.

Now, alone again in the room with Jongin who still looked beyond sleepy, Sehun reached out to intertwine their fingers once again.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sehun..." Jongin’s voice was still raspy and Sehun felt like an idiot for not offering him something to drink earlier. Carefully, he lifted the cup to Jongin’s lips so that the other could drink.

"Here, drink something." He murmured, taking the cup away when Jongin gently patted his arm to signal him to stop.

"Sehun- are we- the 48 hours..." This time around, Jongin’s voice sounded a lot better already and Sehun just wanted to bend down and finally kiss him again.

"You did it, Jongin. We did it." Sehun couldn’t stop smiling. "They gave you the antiserum. It was all real. We're at the military base."

"Fuck- yesterday... Everything's so hazy. I remember you being knocked out, and then we were in a car... Someone gave me an injection." Back then, he’d drifted in and out of consciousness, unsure what he’d dreamed and what had been real.

"That was the antiserum. It really exists. Project EXO-L I mean." Sehun squeezed his hand gently. Finally, Jongin’s body didn’t feel like it was burning up anymore but had a normal temperature instead. Sehun had never expected something like this to make him feel so happy, but it did.

They just looked at each other in silence for a moment. It was almost as if they wanted to make sure that this was not just a dream but very much real.

"You saved me, Sehun." Jongin’s words were merely a whisper.

Vehemently, Sehun shook his head. "No. We did it together." That had been the truth. They’d gone through all of this as one.

"What happened to your head? Is that from yesterday?" Jongin asked. Obviously, he wasn’t aware that he’d been sleeping for more than two days and Sehun didn’t feel the need to bring that up just now.

"Yeah. Apparently, a stone hit me in the head. I have me a concussion but it’s not too bad."

 Jongin let out a groan. "Fuck... There was a lot of blood on your face, I remember..." His eyes squeezed shut as if the pictures of Sehun on the ground physically hurt him. "That bandage screams of a nasty head injury." He mumbled.

"It's nothing, really." Sehun brushed it off.

Blinking his eyes open again, Jongin didn’t look like he was buying it though.

"It doesn't look like nothing. And a concussion doesn't sound like nothing either"

"I couldn't care less about it right now." The strand of hair from earlier had fallen into Jongin’s face again, and for the second time, Sehun reached out to brush it away. "I was so worried when you weren't there in the same room with me…"

At that, Jongin almost looked smug. "Well, I guess I had the privilege to have you be here when I woke up."

"You're a lucky man, Kim Jongin." Sehun chuckled. He’d missed this. Talking to Jongin felt as easy as breathing. Just the thought of losing him made him feel choked up.

"I really am." Jongin agreed. "I mean, what are the odds? Being bitten, getting into a car crash, escaping a zombie encounter, almost being hit by a train and lastly, getting into a fight. And all that in less than 48 hours." He snorted.

When Jongin put it that way, it sounded quite unbelievable, Sehun had to agree.

"That makes us sound like some kind of action hero."

Squeezing his hand softly, Jongin turned his head to the side to get a better look at Sehun.

"Didn't you know? You're my favourite superhero. And a very real one at that."

It was then that Sehun couldn’t resist any longer. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to Jongin’s to give him a soft kiss. It wasn’t passionate, not at all, but it was enough to bring new tears to his eyes when he pulled back again. When their eyes met, he realized that Jongin’s eyes looked suspiciously wet, too.

“I’m just so glad to have you back, alive and breathing.” Sehun murmured, quickly wiping at his eyes.

“Me too, Sehun.” Jongin smiled and reached out to brush away a new tear that had spilled from Sehun’s eyes. “Me too.”

 

🕑 🕑 🕑

 

It took Jongin another day until he was able to leave the bed. Just like Sehun, he received new clothes and a haircut. Freshly showered and clad in well-fitting military clothes, he followed Sehun on a walk through the military base. Even though he wasn’t supposed to move around too much just yet, Jongin had needed to stretch his limbs a little. As a former dance, he wasn’t used to lying in bed all day and his body had yearned for some movement.

Therefore, Sehun had agreed to show him around the parts of the military base that he’d explored so far. Starting off with the hospital ward, Sehun continued the private tour by showing Jongin the small room they’d been assigned. Just like everyone in the base, they had been assigned one of the small rooms. Originally, the room had been destined for four people but the capacities of the base were not worked to capacity yet, so at least for now they would have the room to themselves. At the moment, it was only Sehun sleeping there because for at least another night, Jongin was supposed to return to the hospital ward.

The room wasn’t anything special, but it promised privacy. It was more than the two had expected and definitely more than they could’ve asked for. The bunk beds on the two opposing walls weren’t ideal but Sehun had already tested it out and they could just push them together to create one large bed once Jongin joined him in the room.

After showing Jongin the small space, he took him to the cafeteria. Just like him when he was still a patient, Jongin had received his meals in his room in the ward so stepping into the large hall that was the cafeteria was new to Jongin as well.

“Jongin! Hey!” Baekhyun’s loud voice boomed through the cafeteria almost the moment they stepped in. There, at their usual table sat Chanyeol, Jongin and Jongdae, together with Tao and Luhan who they’d met during cleaning duty. The three had been assigned cleaning duty for now, just like everyone that joined the military base at first. Apparently, Tao and Luhan had happened to find encounter the military on one of their patrols just a week before they arrived, so they were fairly new to the large building complex as well.

Obnoxious waving followed Baekhyun’s loud voice and Sehun half-heartedly waved back, first steering Jongin towards the queue so they could grab some food. It was the day of the week where soup was served and the plates of the people they’d passed on the way to the end of the queue had looked rather promising.

Five minutes later, they finally settled at the table with their friends. Tao and Luhan politely introduced themselves to Jongin who they already heard a lot about from Chanyeol and the others.

Of course, Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Jongdae had come to visit Jongin in the hospital ward before, so for once, the conversation didn’t focus on Jongin’s well-being. Instead, they talked about the life at the base and how good the food actually was.

Just when they’d finished their plates, something – or rather someone – caught Chanyeol’s attention.

"Fuck! Jongin- do you know who that is?" Since Chanyeol was sitting opposite Jongin and he, therefore had no clue what was going on behind him, he needed to turn his head to check what his friend was referring to.

"Who are you talking about?" He asked when he couldn’t spot anyone that seemed familiar.

"It's the hot guy from the library! The library assistant. Did someone mix drugs into my food? I think I'm hallucinating." Not so inconspicuous, Chanyeol pointed at a man two tables behind Jongin. He was wearing the white cloak of one of the scientists and it took Jongin a second to remember where he’d seen him before.

"Holy shit, I think you're right though." He let out a breath at the sudden realization.

Chanyeol looked like he’d just seen a ghost. "This must be a joke. What is he doing here?"

"He's wearing the same white coat as Dr. Kim and Dr. Zhang." Jongin pointed out. It was Sehun’s turn to clock into the conversation since he knew exactly who the two were talking about.

“That’s Dr. Do. He was there when they ‘interrogated’ me about how I found out about Project EXO-L.” He explained to the group at the table.

An expression of awe filled Chanyeol’s eyes, coupled with uncertainty. "Do you think he's a doctor too? Or a scientist? But he was working in the library."

At that, Jongin had to snort. "Dude, what did you think he was studying? Fucking bookology or what?"

Beside Sehun, Baekhyun squawked out a choked ‘Bookology’ and Sehun couldn’t help but grin as well. Chanyeol looked utterly offended.

"Shut up, that's not even a word." He muttered, still staring at the doctor with the thickly-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.

"You see? That just further strengthens my point." Jongin laughed, almost dropping his spoon in his almost empty bowl of soup. "No but for real, he probably studied medical engineering or something like that."

That seemed to impress Chanyeol even more. "Yeah? That's hot. He's hot."

"Go and talk to him." Came Jongdae’s suggestion, complete with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

The suggestion made Chanyeol think. "Do you think I should? Wait, do you think he remembers me?" He asked after a moment of silence. Everyone at the table was staring at him and it was obvious that they were all thinking the same thing.

In the end, it was Jongin who voiced everyone’s thoughts.

"I guess there's only one way to find out!"

 

All eyes were on Chanyeol as he made his way back to the table. After Jongin’s suggestion, he’d really gone and chatted up the scientist when he’d got up to put away his tray. As if he wanted to put away his own tray, Chanyeol had jumped up and almost knocked the plate from his own tray. Without any further incidents, he made it to the tray-return-queue and managed to get in line just behind the scientist.

In the large room filled with people, they couldn’t hear the words they exchanged. When Chanyeol returned to their table, his expression was unreadable.

"And did he remember you?" Baekhyun was the first to ask.

A large, gummy smile broke out on Chanyeol’s face and he looked quite smug. "Yes, he actually did."

Jongdae hooted and Baekhyun grinned as well. Only Jongin wasn’t so sure if that was a good sign. He’d been the one who had witnessed Chanyeol chatting up the guy in uni for the first time and back then, it hadn’t gone so well after all. "I don't know if that's a good or bad thing?" He asked.

"Me neither." Chanyeol admitted which promptly confused everyone at the table. "But he actually laughed at what I said this time."

"Yeah?” That was an improvement to the previous time, Jongin thought. “What did you say?"

Chanyeol grinned at least had the decency to look a little bashful. "I said “Not even a zombie outbreak can separate us huh? Must be fate.”"

Everyone at the table stared at him in disbelief for a second before they broke out into laughter, making everyone in a ten-meter radius turn their heads towards them.

“Wow.” Baekhyun was grinning, pretending to wipe a tear from the corner of his eyes. "Next time ask him to have a coffee with you in the cafeteria. If he had to laugh at that joke, you actually might have a chance."

 

🕑 🕑 🕑

 

Life at the base settled into a routine quicker than Jongin and Sehun would’ve expected. Just four days after they’d arrived, Sehun had been approached by Commander Kim and Dr. Do because of his offer to take a look at how well the data concerning Project EXO-L was really hidden from the eyes that it wasn’t meant for. Jongin, who still was free to do whatever he liked for the next two weeks – apparently that was the procedure for everyone who was bitten – mostly stuck with Sehun so when he first stepped into the large room filled with _computers that actually worked,_ Jongin wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen his boyfriend so happy besides when he’d woken up from the artificial sleep.

Quickly, Jongin had learned that Sehun certainly felt at home between the machines. Not only Jongin was impressed by how fast Sehun’s fingers flew over the keyboard once he’d began and soon enough, none of the scientist nor the commander doubted the young man’s skills any longer.

Actually, Sehun’s impressive performance on the military base’s firewall to stop any unwanted visitors from accessing the files on the project any longer were most likely the reason nobody questioned it when Jongin spent almost the whole day at Sehun’s side just watching him type away on the screen. Unlike Sehun, he couldn’t sit still the whole time, so he sporadically visited Chanyeol who he’d been sure he’d seen in a corner in the hallway with the small scientist just when he’d stepped out of the computer room. Hurriedly, they’d jumped apart but the deep flush on both their faces had told Jongin all he needed to know.

The fact that Sehun spent so much time at the computer room by no means meant that he didn’t have time for Jongin though. In-between coding, he sneaked in little kisses and used the time when they headed to lunch to take a walk with Jongin around the base, walking hand and hand. Nobody gave them weird glances, which Jongin appreciated but he doubted they’d have stopped him from doing so either way.

By no means had the base become their home yet, but it was becoming familiar. No longer did Jongin think that all hallways looked the same, instead he started to notice little details like signs he hadn’t noticed before, flowerpots that were strewn all over the base to create a homey feeling. There even was a library that Jongin had discovered when he and Sehun had taken a walk through the tract of the base that they hadn’t explored much yet. He was even more surprised when there were not only books but also records for them to listen to, together with CD players they could borrow.

His breath hitched when his fingers stopped on the back of a CD. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to laugh or to cry, but when he pulled it out of his shelf to show it to Sehun, he saw the same mix of emotion on his others face.

That night, they listened to the remastered version of _Abbey Road_ by the Beatles. When their song came on, both sang along in broken English between hushed kisses.

_“I want you. I want you so bad, it’s driving me mad, it’s driving me mad.”_

 

🕑 🕑 🕑

 

The door fell shut behind them and before Sehun registered what was happening, Jongin already had him pushed against the door, his lips pressed onto his own. With a surprised gasp, Sehun parted his lips but then proceeded to kiss Jongin back passionately.

It had been forever since they’d made out like this. Up until now, Sehun had tried to wave off every single attempt Jongin had started to get him riled up. It wasn’t like he didn’t want it, no, Sehun _definitely_ wanted it. He was merely concerned about Jongin’s well-being.

Even though he seemed to be fine, Sehun couldn’t stop thinking about how close to death his boyfriend had been just a little more than a week ago and the thought of hurting him was so off-putting that it even killed his morning wood when it pressed against Jongin’s ass in the mornings. The thing was, Jongin strongly disagreed with him.

When their lips parted, there was a hungry look in Jongin’s eyes that sent sparks into Sehun’s groin and he wondered how he’d managed to withstand him for so long when his boyfriend managed to be this hot the whole time. Yet, Sehun needed to make sure the other really felt sure about this.

“Jongin… are you sure you’re feeling well enough already? I don’t want to-“

Instead of answering right away, Jongin captured Sehun’s lips in another heated kiss, effectively shutting him up. At the same time, he grabbed the hand that had automatically sneaked around his waist and led it down to his crotch where Sehun could already feel a prominent bulge forming.

“Is that answer enough?” Jongin breathed, his lips so close that Sehun could feel the brush of them against his lips with every syllable and quite frankly, he didn’t need any further convincin.

“Yeah, I think it is.” Sehun’s eyes fluttered shut when their lips met again and he let out a quiet moan as their tongues brushed together. Pulling Jongin closer to him, he nestled his leg between Jongin’s. The groan that tumbled from Jongin’s lips was music to his ears and Sehun grinned into his kiss, tilting his head for better access.

As hot as it was being pressed against a door and making out, it wasn’t the most comfortable either. When they could bare to let go of each other for more than a second, Jongin grabbed Sehun’s hand and led him to the two bunk beds they’d pushed together. They had to be careful not to hit their heads but when Jongin was spread out on the sheets underneath Sehun, they both didn’t even think about the complicated bed situation anymore.

“I missed this so much.” Jongin’s voice was breathy and Sehun wished he could capture the sound of it forever. Instead, he captured his lips, kissing him until they were both breathless before he began to kiss his way down Jongin’s neck, making sure to leave a few marks in his trail on Jongin’s beautiful skin.

Summer had done the other well, and his skin looked a beautiful healthy colour, tan from the countless hours spent outside with Sehun at the ocean back at the lighthouse.

“You’re beautiful.” The words slipped from Sehun’s lips before he could comprehend them but the satisfied smile on Jongin’s smile was worth it and Sehun leaned in for another quick peck before he waited for Jongin to lift his arms so he could help him take off his shirt.

When the piece of clothing was carelessly discarded to the side, Sehun return to his task of worshipping his boyfriend’s body. Butterfly kisses pressed to his skin, Sehun made sure to give special attention to his nipples. From experience, he knew that Jongin was quite sensitive when it came to his nipples and Sehun loved to tease him until he was reduced into a moaning mess just by playing with his nipples. However, this time Sehun didn’t have the patience to do more than just give them a few licks and flicks of his tongue before he continued lower.

The way Jongin’s muscles contracted underneath his skin when Sehun’s fingers and lips trailed over them sent a smug smile onto his lips. As much as Sehun loved to get attention from Jongin, he couldn’t help but be in awe how he could take the other apart by the simplest ministrations of his lips and hands. Palms smoothed over Jongin’s sides as he pressed kisses over the thin trail of hair leading down to the bulge in Jongin’s pants that Sehun had been avoiding on purpose for now.

“Hun.” Jongin breathed, and they both knew what he was asking for.

Any other time, he would’ve made Jongin wait longer, would’ve made him ask for it again, tell him to specify his needs, but this time Sehun wanted it so much too.

He hadn’t realized how good it could feel to have Jongin feeling so alive under his fingertips and now that he’d tasted the feeling, he couldn’t get enough of it anymore. It was just another way of him realizing that Jongin was still there, that Jongin was still with him and that he was so very much alive.

Jongin’s hands had found their way into Sehun’s hair and under his shirt. At first, Jongin had told him he’d miss Sehun’s longer hair for sure, the way that it felt when he ran his fingers through it, but just a few hours after he’d told him that Jongin had already admitted that he loved the new look on Sehun.

Leaning back, Sehun quickly shrugged off his shirt and tossed it into the direction of where Jongin’s shirt was supposedly lying. His hips were firmly planted over Jongin’s and just the slightest movement made their crotches rub together, resulting in low moans.

“The walls are thin. We need to be quiet.” Sehun mumbled as if he’d just remembered where they were when they could hear footsteps passing outside the door. Jongin’s face was flushed pink, but Sehun doubted it came from embarrassment.

“I’ll try but I can’t promise anything.” A look of mischief had found its way to Jongin’s face and Sehun couldn’t help but think how beautiful the other was like this, out of breath and with messy hair.

Long fingers explored Sehun’s chest, mapping out the faint lines of his abs and his collar bones. For a moment, it felt like Jongin was exploring Sehun’s body for the first time even thought he’d seen it a billion times already. However, Sehun knew exactly how Jongin felt because he felt the same way whenever he looked at Jongin like this.

They made quick work of their pants and underwear. Before Sehun could say anything, Jongin had pushed them over, now hovering on top of Sehun with a devilish grin on his lips. “Now it’s my turn.”

They were both hard already, and Sehun’s eyes rolled back when Jongin closed his hand around both their shafts to give them a few slow experimental strokes. When Jongin’s finger thumbed over the head, Sehun had to throw his hand over his mouth to drown out the moan that had threatened to escape him at the sensation.

After longer than a week without any stimulation, Sehun doubted he’d last long. He’d just felt too stressed to even think about getting himself off and now, with a whole, and beautiful Jongin on top of him stroking their cocks in a mind-meltingly slow pace, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hold it together.

As if his boyfriend had read his mind, Jongin let go of their cocks and Sehun almost thought he’d get a break. Instead though, Jongin decided to get comfortable between his legs. The look that he sent him spoke more than a thousand words and instinctively, Sehun’s cock twitched when he realized what Jongin was planning.

The first lick of Jongin’s tongue against his cock was equally expected and overwhelming at the same time. His fingers had found their way into Jongin’s hair before he really registered it and Sehun let out a low moan when Jongin closed his lips around the tip of his cock, engulfing it in tight, hot heat.

Jongin constantly praised Sehun for how good he was at sucking cock, but in all honesty, Sehun didn’t think Jongin was any worse.

The wet suction around his length was heavenly and the stretch of Jongin’s lips around his cock looked equally angelic and devilish. With every bob of his head, he took more and more of Sehun into his mouth and the grip of Sehun’s fingers in his hair tightened with every centimetre that disappeared in his boyfriend’s mouth.

Long forgotten was the idea of staying quiet because of the fear of being hurt and without any hindrance, low moans spilled from Sehun’s lips whenever Jongin did a particularly mind-blowing trick with his tongue.

“Jongin-I’m not gonna last long if you keep this up.” Through gritted teeth, Sehun watched as Jongin fondled Sehun’s balls with his free hands. He knew exactly what Sehun loved and it drove his boyfriend crazy.

“What if I don’t want you to? I’m pretty sure if we take some time fingering me open, you’ll have no problems getting hard again once I’m ready to get fucked by you.”

“Fuck.” How Jongin had the decency to look innocent while spewing such dirty words was beyond Sehun, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t love it.

“Is that a yes?” Jongin asked, his lips back to mouthing along Sehun’s cock rather than taking it down his throat for now.

As if Sehun had any brain cells left to say no to that. “Yeah.” He mumbled, his head falling back when Jongin took his as his cue to take Sehun’s cock back into his mouth, this time until his nose hit Sehun’s crotch.

With the continuous bobbing of Jongin’s head, Sehun tried to control the movement of his hips as much as possible. However, when Jongin’s throat constricted around his cock once again, he couldn’t stop himself from starting to carefully fuck into Jongin’s mouth.

The brush of Jongin’s fingers against Sehun’s hole took him by utter surprise and he let a drawn-out moan when he spilled down Jongin’s throat, resulting in the other pulling off. Hot spurts of cum hit Jongin’s lips and his cheek before he could open his mouth again, trying to catch all of Sehun’s cum.

Only when Sehun started whining at the overstimulation, Jongin’s stopped stroking his cock and let go of it. Just in time to see Jongin lick his lips as if he was tasting the most delicious thing, Sehun opened his eyes.

The look in Jongin’s eyes told Sehun that the other was fully aware of what he was doing to him but he couldn’t bring himself to be even the slightest bit offended at how well it was working.

“The finger caught me off-guard.” Sehun pouted as he pushed himself up on wobbly arms, his cheeks and chest flushed a pretty red. “That was unfair.”

Jongin only chuckled and got into a more comfortable position, his leaking cock on full display for Sehun. “I just know you too well I guess. Also, to me it looked like you liked it a lot.” There was still a streak of Sehun’s come on his cheeks and Jongin’s eyes widened in surprise when Sehun reached out to brush it away with his finger before feeding it to Jongin. He watched as the other’s eyes fell shut as he sucked on his finger as it was the best thing he’d ever had.

“You’re such a tease.” Sehun chuckled, his cock already twitching again in interest. However, now it was time to focus on Jongin and stretch him well so he could fuck him into the mattress just like he’d asked for.

“Only for you, babe.” Jongin grinned after releasing Sehun’s finger from his lips with a pop.

 

Beautiful moans fell from Jongin’s lips when the tongue prodded at his hole, not breaching just yet but only teasing. Before Sehun had been about to grab the lotion they’d gotten from the military base supply centre, Jongin had told him that he’d taken some time in the shower to properly clean himself and that he might have fingered himself a little in the process already, too.

Therefore, Sehun didn’t have any qualms as he licked over his boyfriend’s pretty hole, spreading his butt cheeks with large palms to fit his face in-between.

At the first breach of his tongue, Jongin gasped. Sehun eased up again, just to tease, before he tried again, this time pushing the muscle into Jongin’s hole. From then on, it didn’t take very long for him to reduce Jongin to a moaning mess much like he’d been one just minutes ago.

When the first finger joined alongside his tongue, Jongin whined so loudly that Sehun was sure they were going to be the talk of the base for at least a week. However, when he felt the tight heat of Jongin’s walls clench around his finger, Sehun realized that he truly didn’t give a single fuck.

One finger was soon joined by a second and then a third. In-between, he’d let Jongin turn over so that he was lying on his back instead, his cock leaking onto his flat stomach as Sehun abused his prostate with his fingers. A continuous stream of precum trailed over the ridges of Jongin’s abs and Sehun couldn’t help but slip Jongin’s cock between his lips as he fingered him, loving the way Jongin’s cock pulsed and twitched whenever he brushed over his prostate.

At some point, Jongin had to tell Sehun to stop in case he was still planning to fuck him, otherwise he would come down his throat any second and even thought that thought sounded appealing, Sehun still very much wanted to sink his cock into the tight heat of his boyfriend’s ass.

Getting comfortable between Jongin’s legs, Sehun almost hit his head at the bunk bed when he tried to position himself. A sweet giggle escaped Jongin that soon turned into a moan when the tip of Sehun’s cock brushed against his hole, rubbing and teasing without really pushing in just yet.

The generous amount of lotion on his cock and the extension made the slide into Jongin easy. They both sucked in harsh breaths as Sehun pushed inside, slowly so that the uncomfortableness Jongin was bound to feel was minimized.

When Jongin gave him the go to move, Sehun more than welcomed it. The first few strokes of his cock against Jongin’s walls were sloppy, experimentative. It took them a little to find a good angle and rhythm but soon, they were rocking together, Jongin’s arms loosely slung around Sehun’s neck as their hips rolled together. In the corner of his eyes, Sehun spotted something.

The bitemark on Jongin’s arms hadn’t faded much yet. It would probably take years until the mark would fade, it might not even fully disappear at all actually. Small but plump lips brushed over the spot where the skin was slightly raised from the bitemarks.

Surprise had sparked up in Jongin’s eyes when he realized what Sehun was doing, but it was soon responded with a fond smile.

“Don’t kiss the scar, Sehun.” Jongin whispered, his voice slightly hoarse from moaning. “Kiss me instead. I’m still here, so you can still kiss me. Not a mark that almost took me away from you.”

Their eyes met for a second and once again, the world seemed to stand still. But this time, it wasn’t because something terrifying had happened, not because Sehun’s heart had been shattered into a million pieces. This time, Sehun fell in love with Jongin for the thousandth time again.

The movements of their hips became more erratic with every second. Sehun’s hand had sneaked between their bodies to reach for Jongin’s cock, giving him a sloppy handjob as he fucked into him with less and less restraint.

It was Jongin who came first, too riled up from the rimjob and the fingering to last much longer. The moment Sehun hit his prostate dead on again and again, he cried out and spilled his load between them, his walls twitching around Sehun who only lasted a few seconds longer until he came in Jongin, filling him up with his cum.

When their breathing had calmed down a little, Sehun carefully pulled out of him. He hadn’t meant to come inside the other because of the huge mess but Jongin’s orgasm had triggered his own before he could react. Now, as he watched the cum trickle out of his ass, he couldn’t really bring himself to mind too.

Jongin, however, pouted. “I need a shower now. Well done.” He mumbled but there was no bite to his words. Instead, he pulled Sehun in for a sweet kiss, one that was way too innocent for the things they’d done just now.

In the end, they decided to postpone the shower for a little longer to cuddle instead. The sheets were a mess either way, so there was no need to hurry now.

 

Sehun could hear Jongin’s heartbeat from where his head was resting on his boyfriend’s chest. Gentle fingers were carding through his hair as Sehun listened to the steady beating.

Just a week ago, he’d been so close to losing all of this. Now, he listened to Jongin’s heartbeat slowing down to a slower pace, rhythmic and soothing.

Sehun didn’t have to believe in god to know that what he had with Jongin was more than chemicals. What he had with Jongin was something that he couldn’t put into words, something that was so fragile but so incredibly strong at the same time. Something, that meant the world to him, even if that meant that he had to fight this exact world that tried to bring them down every single day.

 

_11\. 10. 9._

With every beat of Jongin’s heart, Sehun fell a little more in love with him.

 

_8. 7. 6._

With every rise of the other’s chest beneath his head, he knew that Jongin was still there.

 

_5\. 4. 3._

Sehun’s eyes fell on the ring on his hand. It looked so beautiful, even in the dim light of the old lamp of the room they’d been assigned. A smile spread across his lips.

 

_3\. 2. 1._

The beat of a pounding heart.

Jongin had noticed the look in Sehun’s eyes wandering to the ring. “What are you thinking about?” He asked.

 

_0._

 

“I thought about where to find you the counterpart to this ring. Just like I found my counterpart in you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the prompter: I hope you liked my interpretation of the prompt, as well as the ship I chose. The prompt was a lot of fun to write and gave me a lot of space for my own ideas and creativity.
> 
> To everyone else: I hope that all of you enjoyed this week just as much! Please leave a comment with your thoughts and feelings! It would really mean the world to me. Kudos and comments are one of the few things us writers get back to posting a chaptered story at once also often costs us feedback. So whenever you read a story you liked, leave comments and Kudos! Also, please support all the other writers of this fest, I'm sure there'll be many amazing works!
> 
> PS. If you haven't taken a closer look at the clock emojis yet, maybe you should take a look again. Do you know what's the idea behind them?

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you think will happen next? Let me know in the comments! I would love to have your feedback on the fic, it means a lot to me!


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